


Books and Albino's

by ZheAwesomePrussia



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Criminals, Alternate Universe - Human, Crimes & Criminals, F/M, Fanfiction, Fights, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Organized Crime, Originally Posted on Wattpad, References to Drugs, Romance, Weapons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2018-09-07 22:43:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 28,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8819032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZheAwesomePrussia/pseuds/ZheAwesomePrussia
Summary: Matthew Williams is a shy, unnoticed, innocent man, at least that's what the few people who remember him think. By day Matthew is a normal man who owns a bookstore, by night he is one of the most feared and most wanted people who call the underground organizations his home. One day a certain albino walks into his store and has Matthew making all the wrong choices. Will Matthew sacrifice his home, his business and his life for the one who loves him, or will Matthew's secret scare Gilbert away?
Hetalia and its characters do not belong to me.Reviews are awesome!





	1. Chapter 1

It was a nice, quiet day so far. The pitter-patter of rain was the only audible sound of the outside world. It was a normal day in April for the shy Canadian tending to his bookstore. Not many people came into his little shop, and Matthew Williams didn't think today would be any different, with little to no people going out on that rainy day. So, he searched his shelves for a random book and found he had Grimm's Fairy Tales in his hands. Shrugging his shoulders he began to read about fairy tale adventures and the unnatural.

Matthew was a tall well-built 22 year old, with wavy chin-length honey-blonde hair and eyes the uncommon shade of violet. He wore wire rimmed glasses and today he was dressed in a simple red maple-leaf hoodie and jeans. He also had one curl that stuck out of his hair and bounced in his face. What others didn't know about Matthew from their first glance, was that he was strong enough to bench-press a house (not that he ever found occasion to try).

Matthew loved his job at the small book store, as he could make his own hours (him being the owner and all) and was surrounded by wonderful books all day. He liked his job for other numerous reasons too, like not having to talk to many people, as he was wasn't noticed often or forgot about completely. This little bit of normality in his life was what Matthew Williams wished for everyday before he'd close shop and have to head home to his next responsibility.

Matthew Williams wasn't just any 22 year old, at a young age he was placed in a household full of criminals and drug dealers, he learned how to kill a person with one well placed punch and how to smuggle anything anywhere. Now, his broken family would be proud of him, as he was living a normal life, while also being one of the most feared and wanted criminals there were. He could quiet a crowd of people with just a turn of his head when he was dealing with business. Matthew was well known and very much unforgotten in his "business" after the book store closes.

**~~~~Time Skip brought to you by the yet-to-be-introduced Awesomeness~~~~**

Finally, the rain had stopped and the sun was out like nothing had ever happened, the days previous events were all dried up by the sun. As the time ticked on towards the end of the day Matthew felt a lump in his stomach, for he was not looking forward to his meeting later that day. Today he had to take up business with an extremely rowdy client of his, then it was off to see the men that worked for him and settle any disruptions of the day's work. This was a routine that Matthew enjoyed, for he took comfort in the idea of having a schedule to follow.

 _5 more minutes,_ Matthew thought, _Just 5 more minutes, then we have to leave normality behind._ Matthew had started to prepare his shop for closing when he noticed a black sports car slowly creep its way along the road, as if the driver didn't know where they were going. As the car crept closer Matthew noticed that it was a black Audi with 2 red strips going down the middle and tinted windows.

 _Oh, no,_ Matthew thought, he of course recognized this car as one of his brother's and as it was getting nearer he saw the licence plate of HERO and knew instantly that it was his brother.

 _I guess he wanted to see me earlier than planned,_ Matthew thought and with a sigh finished closing the shop for the night. As he was stepping outside about to lock the doors he could hear the engine of the car being turned off and the door opening. Matthew turned around and was met with the smiling face of his twin brother, Alfred F. Jones.

Alfred was the older of the two and took it upon himself to be Matthew's hero, even though he sometimes forgot about him. Alfred had short hair a shade darker than Matthew's with a cowlick that defied gravity. He had sky blue eyes and was well-built (he could also bench press a house and has found occasion to test this theory). Alfred was shorter than Matthew and was tanned where Matthew was pale, he wore wire rimmed glasses and was addicted to fast food, in fact Matthew could see he had stopped at his beloved McDonald's before coming. Today, Alfred decided to wear his ever present bomber-jacket with some band shirt Matthew didn't recognize. underneath, sporting black jeans and combat boots.

"Hey little bro, how're you doing?" The American asked not giving any acknowledgement to the glare he received from his brother.

"What are you doing here, Al?" Matthew asked in his quiet voice trying to sound threatening while remaining polite as he had an image to keep if he wanted to stay in this neighbourhood.

"What, can't I come over and see my little bro?" Alfred asked with a very fake hurt expression on his face.

Matthew sighed, "No Al, it's not like that. I mean what are you doing here, as in this place. We have a meeting scheduled for later and-- "Matthew shift closer, looked around him for anyone who might hear him and said more quietly-- "you're not supposed to be outside during the day, you could get caught." As popular as Matthew was, Alfred was well known and wanted too, but he was the one who had his face known to the world and could be reported if he were recognized by anyone, bringing Matthew down with him.

"Don't worry so much, Mattie. The HERO will save you from anyone who tries to lay a finger on yo--"

"Alfred! Don't yell so loud." Matthew cut off his brother by placing his hand on his mouth.

Taking his brother's hand off of his mouth Alfred said, "Sorry, dude! I guess I forgot!" Alfred laughed his loud laugh and was shushed into silence by his brother.

"Now, are you going to tell me why you risked being reported to come here?" Matthew questioned as Alfred tried to remember his purpose in taking a trip to Matthew's normal part of his life.

"Oh, that's right! I remember now!" Alfred hurried to the drivers side door opened it and dug around to find the package from his boss addressed directly to Matthew. "Here ya go, dude!" He said as he walked up to Matthew and handed him the large orange envelope.

Matthew's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he gingerly took the offered package and asked Alfred who it was from.

"Who do you think? I don't do deliveries for just anyone ya know." Alfred crossed his arms at this statement and grinned as his brother lost all the colour he had. "The Boss said not to open it until you're alone and then to burn it all." His brother nodded unsure of what could be in this important package.

"Are we still meeting later to discus other matters?" Matthew asked unsure if this meant he had more free time to visit his men.

"Of course, bro! I just came here to deliver that package to you, I have to go know. I'll see you later, Mattie!" Alfred waved to his brother as he got into his car and drove off. Matthew was still in the middle of the road, shocked that a very powerful man had given _him_ a package. _Probably another poor soul that owed the man money and tried to escape,_ Matthew sighed, a little more aware of his surroundings. _It's time for work, I guess_ , Matthew thought as he walked over to his 2016 Nissan GT-R, hoped in and drove to were he does his "business" with others like him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Hey guys, I hope you liked this chapter as well as the rest of the fanfiction! This fanfic was originally posted on Wattpad and Fanfiction.net , its not finished yet but I post chapters to those websites first so if you want to read later chapters that haven't made it here yet, go check them out on those websites.**
> 
> **This is my first fanfiction and I'd say this chapter was pretty good, even though The Awesome Prussia hasn't been introduced yet.**
> 
> **If you liked this chapter please hit that kudos button, comment, bookmark, and subscribe! I'll see you guys in the next chapter! ≧◡≦**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Bold** \- reading  
>  _Italics_ \- flash back  
>  Underline \- song lyrics

**Bold** \- Letter

Underlined \- Song Lyrics

* * *

 

The drive to Matthew's "business" place was long and stressful as Matthew thought about the contents of the package he had received earlier that day. He was shocked to learn that it had only been a request for him to "take out the trash" and not any death threats or contracts for his head on a silver platter. Alfred's boss wasn't one to mess with and if Alfred ever slipped up Matthew would always end up dealing with or getting blamed for it. Even though the Canadian could take care of himself just fine, it did help ease his mind to know he wasn't being hunted down like prey by others. As Matthew arrived at his destination he thought about his temporary partnership with another of the criminal worlds' most wanted.

**~Flashback~**

_A_ fter Alfred had left him standing dumbstruck in the middle of the street, Matthew hurried back into his shop and locked the door behind him. Matthew stared at the orange package as if it was a deadly bomb and, knowing Alfred's boss, it probably was.

After a while of worrying about what was in the package, Matthew finally mustered up enough courage to open it up. All Matthew could do was try to breath properly as he carefully took out the contents of the package. To his relief, it was only pictures of his next target, a new set of knives and a folder with papers about a man and a letter signed by the devil himself. He breathed out a sigh of relief, thanking whatever god was listening. _This is easy enough_ , Matthew thought with a grin.

******Matthew,**  
**This is your new target, a man named Ivan Braginsky. He lives in an apartment building with his two sisters and has become highly in-debt with me. He refuses to pay me back or work to pay off his debt. I trust you will deal with him well. But be warned, Ivan is no ordinary man, he will be very cautious and his sisters are very well trained as well. I suggest that you try and gain his trust then kill him but it is your mission, so as long as he is dealt with, I will be satisfied. Make sure to raid the apartment for anything valuable so that I don't completely strike out on this deal. I have heard rumours that the Braginsky's have stolen something of value and I want you to find it. More information about the stolen property and Ivan is contained in this package. I am fairly certain it is in the apartment. Happy killings, I expect results soon,**  
**\- Arthur Kirkland**

Matthew read all of this with a grin that stretched evilly over his innocent looking face. _This is going to be fun_ , Matthew thought with a giggle. _This Ivan-person won't know what hit him._

Matthew picked up the folder that came with the letter and looked through the contents, memorizing every detail since he would have to burn the contents later. The man named Ivan had accomplished great thefts with his two sisters, but because of his drinking problem he spent all of their earnings, he then had to borrow money from Arthur. At the bottom of the page was a yellow sticky note with the words,  **Beware: Ivan's weapon of choice is a water pipe,** scrawled in the same writing as the letter.

The folder also had information on his sisters, Natalia and Katyusha Braginksy. The papers inside told of all of their successes, how the younger one--Natalia--had mastered using knives and how Katyusha had excelled in martial arts and using all different types of firearms.

"Together these two would be difficult to deal with," Matthew thought aloud, "Look's like I have to be very careful."

Matthew then took out the pictures of the three siblings. The man--Ivan--had short pale ashen blond hair and violet eyes--almost the same colour of Matthew's, but held more malice. He looked to be about 6ft tall with a long tan trench coat and scarf present in every picture. He also seemed to be innocently smiling all the time.

His younger sister had long platinum blonde hair and wore dark blue and white dresses in the various pictures taken. She is seen with a white bow in her hair and dark blue eyes, matching her dresses. She was about 5'2" but looked shorter since she was always standing near her tall brother. In her pictures she looked angry and jealous, in a couple of the pictures she looked ready to kill someone.

As Matthew scanned the last sibling his eyes widened as he laid his eyes upon her large chest, _wow_ was the only word that came to mind. As he pried his eyes off of her chest to stare at the rest of her details he saw that she had short blonde hair worn with a white headband and teal eyes. She, unlike her siblings, wore different clothes in each picture. She was tall, around the same height as her brother and she looked happy in the pictures, as if her life was beautiful and privileged.

Matthew, bored with the information of his new target, then looked at his new set of knives. _They're beautiful,_  he thought. The knives were black handled folding knives with red maple leaves on the blade. The handle fit perfectly into Matthew's hand. The familiar sense of the weapon was calming, at least to Matthew, it felt like home.

With everything in the folder seared into Matthew's brain, he gathered everything together, secured the folder in his sweater (he didn't need anyone to stumble upon it) and re-closed his little shop. Saying good-bye to his small piece of normality, Matthew went to his car--a red 2015 Chevy Camaro--and sat down, mentally preparing himself for his meeting after the drive to his "workplace."

**~Present Time~**

Matthew turned his engine off and took deep breaths, he really did not like how loud his client could get. After stepping out of and locking his vehicle Matthew looked around his abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere. This place was once where Matthew housed some of the items he had  _acquired_  throughout the years with the people that worked for him, until someone found this place and tried to steal from it. His men now stayed in another warehouse that Matthew had to visit later that day, in almost as far and secluded as this one was. Surrounded by forest on all sides, his warehouses were the perfect places to hide his trophies and his men. On the outside it looked like a giant abandoned storage house, but on the inside it was a maze of hallways with multiple doors lining every wall. It was the perfect place for his organization.

Matthew was the first to arrive to the meeting place and had began walking up to the doorway leading inside, when he heard other cars pull up behind him. He turned around and was met by multiple men in black suits getting out of cars and making a perimeter around the small Chinese man getting out of his long black limo. Matthew took another deep breath and deemed himself ready to face his client.

The man had long dark brown hair tied into a pony tail and amber eyes that were filled with impatience. His name was Wang Yao and he wore a red mandarin jacket with white pants. When he finally walked up to Matthew he stood only to his lower chest and had to look up to reach Matthew's eye level.

"Where you waiting long, aru?" The man asked with a thick accent.

"Not at all, why don't you come in so we can discuss business." Matthew stated then turned and led the man and his body guards inside the large building. Matthew stopped at one of the rooms and opened the door, gesturing for the short man to go in. The man gave a look to his body guards and one stepped forward and followed the man into the room. Matthew then went in himself and closed the door behind him.

**~Time Skip~**

The entire drive to Matthew's "business" all he could think about was how unpleasant the meeting had been. All Yao had done that afternoon was insult Matthew, continue to think he was his brother, forgot Matthew whenever he looked away, yell at him, and once he had figured that the person who he was standing in front of was Matthew, Yao decided to talk about anything except the business that was supposed to happen that afternoon. This caused both men to have to reschedule their meeting to the following week.

As Matthew drove to his office, comments the short man had made repeated in his mind reminding him of why he disliked this client.

"Alfred, aru? What is your fat ass doing here?!" Matthew grumbled under his breath trying to mock the man's accent. 

"I settle this business now, I take all. You go home now Alfred." At this point in the conversation Matthew was fuming. He wanted to yell and hurt the tiny man in front of him, but he couldn't. Yao Wang was a very wealthy client of his that Matthew could only treat with respect. So all the poor boy could do was smile and tell the man very politely that he was not his brother. Oh, how Yao pissed him off. He very much wanted to cut this man's tongue out for calling him Alfred, but he didn't, all he did was smile and nod. That was the only way to end this long boring day.

"Another thing, why don't you redecorate this dump, aru? It look like something threw up paint store." Matthew was pretty sure by then a vein was popping out of his forehead. He actually liked the colours in here. The reds, whites and greys made the place fit its use. In fact Matthew had picked the colours himself.

_No use dwelling on the past_ Matthew thought with an annoyed sigh. _At least_ some  _other people remember me._ Matthew thought it was time to stop listening to his rather depressing mind, so he turned on the radio. The song that sprang to life was  Centuries by Fall Out Boy, it started to play the chorus and lifted Matthew's spirits up right away.

Some legends are told

Some turn to dust or to gold

But you will remember me

Remember me for centuries

And just one mistake is all it will take

We'll go down in history

Remember me for centuries

This was all Matthew needed to get Yao out of his head an to put his work face on. As the song ended Matthew had already arrived to his "business." He got out of the car and stretched, hearing a few bones in his back crack, then his knuckles and fingers were next to make the sound Matthew loved hearing from his targets. With his work face up and his anger in cheque Matthew made the short trip to his current warehouse and was greeted by Tino and nodded at by Berwald.

Tino and Berwald were two of his security members that stood watch at the front entrance. Even though Tino was a short man with innocent plum eyes and short blond hair he was almost as strong as Matthew. Berwald was strong too, but not as strong as Tino and had a piercing glare from his fluorescent blue eyes and murderous aura that one could practically see around him, worked in keeping other people away from him and Tino. Both of these men were perfect for their positions and enjoyed the others' presence.

"Hello Tino. Anything I should know aboot happen today?" Matthew asked one of his guards.

"Hello Boss. Nothing has happened over here, but some of the others seem to be arguing again." Tino said with disappointment yet glee in his eyes. "Are you gonna teach 'em a lesson?" He asked with more excitement than curiosity.

"That depends on whether or not they decide to listen to me." Matthew answered looking bored with the knowledge of the days events. "How aboot you Berwald, anything I should know aboot?" Matthew asked as he turned his attention to the taller man.

"Not'in' t’ report." Berwald told his employer.

Matthew nodded at this and left the two to their responsibility. Walking further into the warehouse. Like the other he had visited today, it was a maze of red, white and grey, but with less doors and more open space. It was also surrounded by forest and was covered well by trees. From the outside this place too, looked just normal and abandoned, but on the inside the large building sprung with the life of the people working there.

As Matthew walked through the halls yelling could be heard, it was muffled at first but as Matthew continued down his chosen path, the screaming had gotten louder and louder. Where the yelling was loudest was Matthew's destination and he was not happy at all. He took a deep breath before he opened the door and was confused at the sight before him.

When the door opened everyone looked up with glares to see who dared interrupt them, but when their eyes found Matthew with a deadly glare set in his eyes no one dared move a muscle. They were all too terrified to form words and being glued to their positions didn't help with what their boss had walked into.

"Mathias, Elizabeta, and Feliks in my room, now." Matthew said barely containing his anger.

"Yes sir!" They said in unison. As the three of them stood straight and began to exit the current room. As they started to leave the room, they could feel the stares of their colleagues with their mouths still slightly ajar.

"The rest of you, back to work!" Matthew yelled. And was met with men jumping back to life from their frozen positions and complying with their unhappy boss. Lukas was the first to recover and smack Mathias upside the head for his idiocy. Emil looked to Elizabeta as if to say  _Good luck, you're going to need it._

The three made their way to the room where Matthew called his "office" and every step they took, they could feel the harsh gaze of the pissed-off Canadian. Through the maze of hallways they were given time to think about how to defend themselves from their very mad boss. As they turned the last corner all hope for a plan was lost as they had come up with no defence plan.

When they had gotten to his room, Matthew followed the three in, turning his harsh gaze from them to the window that his first-story space provided him with. He gave a disappointed sigh and was met with two shaking employees and one with an apologetic smile on her lips.

"Just what happened back there?" He asked calmly, after another sigh left his body. The two shaking men said nothing as Matthew turned his gaze on them. He had calmed down a little on the walk to his room, but he was still angry and had to set an example so the other men didn't make the same mistake.

He then turned his eyes on Elizabeta and noticed that her knuckle was split and bleeding and she had a cut on her face that nearly stretched from her left eyebrow past her emerald eyes and to the bottom of her nose which was bleeding too. Her hair was dishevelled and Matthew noticed bruises were starting to form on her arms.

Mathias didn't look too different in his state of being. His usually gravity defying hair was sticking up at odd angels, he was full of bruises that already formed, was bloody at the knuckles and one of his sky blue eyes was swollen shut.

Feliks looked fine, the only thing off was the distressed look in his usually perky mint green eyes. His blond chin-length hair was perfect, not a strand out of place. His skin looked untouched and it seemed as he had only egged on the two fighters. Since it was  _his_  voice that Matthew had heard yelling outside the door.

"I'm only gonna ask this one more time. What. Happened." Matthew was losing his patients with these three. His voice threateningly low. Elizabeta looked up at Matthew and began to speak about what had happened.

"We were discussing random things, just small talk between friends. Then Mathias decided to offer his opinion on me and my husband, You remember Roderich? He had stated how weak he found both of us and I defended our pride, as you can see." She said gesturing to herself and Mathias. Matthew seemed to release the breath he didn't know he was holding and the other employees took this as a good sign and seemed to relax as well.

"And you, Feliks? What part did you play in all of this? I could hear you screaming down the hallway." Matthew asked coolly as if he was already bored with the situation.

"Well, like, Mathais wasn't just picking on Lizzy today, he was picking on everyone--"Matthew turned his harsh glare towards Mathias, who seemed to squirm under his harsh gaze"-- and, like, decided to pick on me and Toris before Lizzy. When she sprang, I, like, encouraged her and threw insults at him to spur her on." He looked ashamed as if he was telling an adult that he broke their window or something.

"Is all of this true, Mathias?" Matthew said in a growl. Mathias, who had been trying to avoid eye contact, looked up in fear and opened his mouth to speak. When he realized no words were coming out he simply shook his head yes and copied Feliks' pose.

"You two--"Matthew gestured to Elizabeta and Feliks"--go wash up and attend to her injuries, Feliks. And if I ever hear that something like this happens ever again. . . I won't be so generous." They nodded and walked out the door thanking him on their way out.

Matthew laid his new knives on the table for Mathias to see. He smirked when he heard a loud gulp come from one of the causes of today's problem. Matthew looked up to see the blond staring intently at the knives as if he was making sure Matthew's hand didn't slide over and grab one to hurt the man with.

"Mathias." Matthew spoke calmly though it seemed like the danish man hadn't heard him.

"Mathias." Matthew spoke again, a little louder, impatience clear in his voice. Yet, even though he was standing in front of Matthew, the man continued to stare intently at the weapons.

"For the love of Maple, Mathais! Is anyone in there anymore?" Matthew asked pointing to the Danish man's head. The movement seemed to snap the man out of his temporary paralysis. Mathias then looked at Matthew and with a voice laced with fear he said,

"Ah! Sorry boss, I was distracted." He fidgeted with the end of his coat sleeves. Matthew could see that the man knew he was going to be wounded by the end of this, after all he caused the fight.

Matthew sighed," You can't just go around and ask for fights, especially when your're here. How many times have I told you this?" He felt as if he was berating a small child for colouring on the walls with crayon.

"This isn't a daycare, Mathias--"Matthew said more sternly"--and I have told you not to start fights because you are bored or don't have a job at the moment. I don't care what the reason is, you need to stop!" Matthew was practically yelling at the man in front of him. Making the taller man cower at the volume.

"I am giving you one more chance to stay here." Matthew said, sighing. The tall man's neck snapping up to look at his employer. He seemed honestly shocked that Matthew had given him a second chance. Then a smile broke his lips and the man started to thank Matthew.

"You didn't think I would let you go without any punishment, did you?" Mathew asked innocently and smirked as the smile on the taller man's lips faded away into a shocked yet horrified expression.

"Now what I am thinking is that I will send you away for a week or so, until I feel you have learned your lesson. But where, oh where, shall I send you?" Matthew thought aloud. His smirk growing as he saw the possibilities flash through the man's eyes. He turned around to fake a look of absolute concentration.

"Oh, I know,--"Matthew turned his head a bit"--I think I'll send you to Arthur. You know how he always likes new play things for his experiments and such." Matthew turned around completely and was met with a 6'2" man snivelling on the floor begging for his mercy. He had a right to, most of the people Arthur experimented on usually never came back. They had all heard horror stories about being trapped with him. Matthew shuddered inwardly at the thought.

Matthew leaned down and whispered softly, "It's only for a week, alright? Stop crying and show some dignity." Matthew sometimes really hated his job. Not for the reasons of violence or that he is wanted by police, but because he hated dealing with people that didn't listen to him and tried to pull the guilt card when they were punished.

Matthew took his belongings and went out into the hallway away from the snivelling man. He needed someone to escort Mathias to Arthur's but he didn't want to do it himself, so that left one other option, Alfred.

Soon enough his phone was ringing as he stood outside his office so that Mathias didn't get any ideas about running away. Finally, after what seemed like millennia, Alfred picked up his phone.

"Yo, Mattie! How unexpected of you to call your Hero. What do you need? Oh! And before I forget I can't come over later I got a job of my own to start." Matthew sighed in relief.  _Yes, now I can spend an evening relaxing,_  Matthew thought with a grin.

"That's fine Al, but I need you to do me a favour. One of my men is going over to Arthur's for behavioural issues and I need you to bring him to Arthur." Matthew knew he would have to make the older man pancakes again soon even before Alfred told his brother.

"Sure brosky, as long as I get a pancake breakfast this weekend!" Alfred yelled into the phone causing Matthew to wince at his brother's voice.

"Yeah, yeah." Matthew sighed out.

"Alright be there in a bit!" Alfred called back and hung up before Matthew could tell him anything else. Matthew hung up and looked at the more composed looking man in front of him. Matthew walked further into the hallway and when he knew Mathias was following him, Matthew lead him outside to where he knew Alfred would be waiting.

**~Time Skip~**

Matthew pulled in to the driveway of the little house he owned in a secluded patch of forest. He loved his little home away from the hell he called his life. Matthew got out of his car and made it into the house without collapsing from exhaustion. It smelled like maple syrup and was pretty cold but Matthew didn't mind since he was barely affected by it anyway.

Matthew walked up to the master bedroom dropped his stuff in the doorway and ran to the most comfortable place on this earth, his king sized bed. He jumped and landed on it with a bounce as he giggled and for the second time that day he was feeling better.

He got up, still giggling and decided against sleeping in his work clothes. So. Matthew changed into a different red hoodie and bottoms.

As soon as his head hit the pillow Matthew lost consciousness and dreamed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Hey guys, I'm back and I am sorry for the really long chapter. A lot had to happen before the day ended and I didn't want to spend 4 chapters on it, so it is all here. And I'm sorry about picking on China and Denmark, I love them both but I needed loud people for these parts and since I used Alfred, they were next.**
> 
> **Thank you all for reading this fanfiction! Sorry for the lack of Awesomeness yet again in the chapter but I promise Prussia will added soon (next chapter, hopefully).**
> 
> **If you like this story please give kudos, comment, bookmark and subscribe! Until the next update! (~￣▽￣)~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Bold** \- dream  
>  _Italics_ \- Matthew's thoughts  
> Underline\- A note

**Laughter. The only thing Matthew could hear. They were laughing at him. The nerve they hadn't. Their rightful place was beneath his boots. Then, why? Why were they laughing at him? Everyone he ever knew was here, laughing. Laughing at him. His screams could not be heard over it. The pleading, the yelling, the cursing. None of that reached the poor boy's own ears.**

**He saw everyone. Alfred, Arthur, and Francis stuck out the most. He found it odd that the people he called family would be laughing at his expense. Why did this bother him so much? He was a lone wolf, a loner. He didn't have anyone that held a special place in his heart. He was supposed to be one of the country's most wanted, and yet here he was. On the floor, acting and crying like the weak person he used to be, begging for everyone to stop. He felt humiliated, but for what?**

**He didn't do anything. He was just walking along an endless road and found everyone waiting for him, then the laughter began. Time passed and the laughter got louder. No matter what Matthew did, he could still hear the laughter pounding into his ears. When he thought he couldn't take anymore of this madness, it all stopped. Matthew thought he went deaf.**

**Then Alfred spoke,"Hey, Mattie. I'm sorry, I couldn't see you there, I guess you were too weak for us to notice you." Alfred laughed loudly at this remark. Matthew's face had changed from confused and humiliated to confused and shocked. _That's what this is aboot?_ Matthew thought.**

**"Aww, why the long face bro? Cheer up! Now that we know the problem we can work on fixing it." Alfred's once friendly smile now turned evil as his eyes narrowed and he looked at Matthew as one would look at their next meal. Matthew swallowed and time seemed to move slowly. All at once everyone there tackled Matthew to the floor, tugging and clawing at his flesh, drawing pained yells by the poor boy underneath it all. They started chanting while still reaching and hurting him.**

**He heard yells of "You're weak!" "You're all alone!" "You can just go and die and no one will care or miss you." They chanted this over and over until Matthew was submerged inside the dome of people drawing blood from him. Matthew screamed as he was fully suffocated by the enormous force.**

Matthew awoke with a start, reaching his hand in the air, as if grabbing for something and breathing heavily. In his awakening he pushed off a certain baby polar bear onto the floor. Matthew looked down at the cause of yet another problem of his. This polar bear, named Kumajiro, was more forgetful than Alfred himself. The tiny creature looked up and tilted his head to one side as if to ask, _Who are you?_ Matthew sighed and looked down at his friend to remind him who he was.

"I'm your owner, Matthew, Kuma. The guy you almost suffocated to death, yet still expects him to feed you." Kumajiro's ears perked up at the mention of food. And as Matthew got up Kumajiro was already waiting at the door with an impatient look on his face.

Putting on his glasses Matthew followed the bear through his house and into his kitchen. Throughout this walk Matthew tried to make sense of his earlier nightmare but then deemed pancakes a more worthy cause to focus on.

Gathering the ingredients and heating up the pan Matthew remembered that he forgot to feed Kuma when he had come home the previous day. _No wonder he woke me up at such an ungodly hour to make him pancakes_ Matthew thought with a yawn.

"Sorry I forgot to feed you yesterday Kuma, work was hell and I needed sleep." Matthew turned to look at his bear as he was flipping the now golden pancakes in his pan. The bear looked up and shrugged at his owner and looking confused. Again he tilted his head, the sign for Matthew to remind him who he was.

"I'm your owner, Matthew." He said again. Kumajiro only nodded his head and waited eagerly for his food to be finished cooking.

Once the happiness on a plate was piled high, Matthew took some and gave it to his forgetful friend, drowning it in maple syrup before handing it to him. Matthew then drowned his own stack of pancakes in his syrup and dug in, letting the rich and heavenly flavour prepare him for his day's activities. He finished his plate and got up to wash their dishes and finally looked at the time. _4:17_ the clock read.

_Great, maybe I can go back to bed after this_ Matthew thought as he finished tidying up his kitchen. As he was on his way back to his room Matthew noticed the papers he had received the earlier day. he remembered the contents and groaned loudly. _Never mind_ Matthew thought and went to change so that he could look around the Braginsky residence.

**~Time Skip~**

As Matthew rounded the last corner to the apartment the siblings shared, he noted that there were cameras on almost every building, with guards standing outside the hotels for extra security. _Hmm the guards shouldn't be an issue, but the cameras would be a problem. I guess I'll have to ask Eduard to take out the cameras if I decide to sneak in_ Matthew thought in his head, his senses on high alert from the early hour adrenaline. The sun hadn't even risen yet and Matthew had too many problems to deal with.

The area around the hotel that housed the Braginsky's was mostly urban, with tall buildings lining every street. One could get lost in all of the similar looking buildings. _Alfred probably would_ Matthew giggled to himself, raising a hand to his mouth to hide his smile. There were lights and signs everywhere, with businesses not even open yet. The area was deserted of any being, the early hour driving away all inhabitants off of the streets.

Earlier that morning, Matthew had thought it a good idea to walk to his destination so that he would memorize where he was to go later. Now, it seemed he was too tired to walk all the way back to his house. So, he changed directions and headed to his little piece of normality, his book store, Beaver Tales.

Matthew sighed as he approached his store. "Too early," Matthew grumbled as he was met with the back door into the store. Taking out his keys, he unlocked the door and stepped inside mentally preparing for the days events. Once he was finished he prepared the store for the days events too. By 6:30 the store was ready to be opened with two hours to spare. That left Matthew to continue reading the book he had started the day before, Grimm's Fairy Tails. He found the book immediately, found a place to settle down for a while and read about the unknown and the mythical.

_8:00_ the clock read. Matthew had finished his book a while ago and made himself busy by organizing some of the books that where out of order or where placed in the wrong places. Matthew sighed as he flipped the sign that currently read _Sorry We're Closed!_ to _Come In We're Open!_ Then going back behind the register to await the few people that would come in that day.

The day passed by slowly as the store had 4 people come in and browse until 4. With an hour until closing Matthew began to organize the books that were moved and anything else out of place from the day's customers. Matthew began to hum to himself as he was cleaning. His tune disappeared when he heard the jingle of the bell, alerting him to the presence of the three loud people who had walked in.

Matthew hurried back to the cash register and looked at the men who had just walked in. They were laughing and poking each other in the side, causing the receiver to roll their eyes. As Matthew got a better look at the men he recognized his cousin, Francis Bonnefoy, and a one-time business partner, Antonio Carriedo. They were with another man that Matthew didn't recognize but was mesmerized by.

Today his cousin was sporting a blue button-up long-sleeve shirt with black pants and shoes. His long, silky blond hair was worn down as opposed to in a ponytail with his French flagged bow tied in it. Francis was a very nice guy, once you get past his five levels of perverseness, then he really was just a kind and smart man. He was shorter than Matthew by a few inches, Matthew noticed this . His sky blue eyes finding Matthew's and his perfect smile widening upon seeing his cousin.

"Mon petite (my little) Matthieu!" Francis yelled alerting his friends to the younger mans presence. Spreading his arms wide he walked up to Matthew around the counter and tightly hugged him, placing his arms around Matthew and patting his back affectionately. His friends looked over and the other one he recognized, as Antonio, looked confused as to who Francis was talking to.

The Spanish man had short light brown hair with bright green eyes. He was usually seen with a smile on his friendly face and was wearing a white t-shirt with brown pants and red converse. Matthew didn't know him too well but he knew that if anyone ever made him angry they wouldn't live long enough to be able to leave his presence.

The other man had silver hair and red eyes. As Matthew stared at him he saw that the albino man had crimson red eyes and wore black on everything. He wore black skinny jeans, a black leather jacket, black boots, and a black and white shirt with an unfamiliar flag with a bird on it. The man didn't seem to look at Matthew as he neared the counter.

"Hello Francis." Matthew said after looking back to the man who had practically raised him.

"You look well. How has _work_ been treating you?" Francis asked in a lower voice, putting the emphasis on work.

"Its alright I guess, I mean, it was crazy yesterday but it wasn't the worst day I've had." Matthew answered also keeping his voice down, though that wasn't hard considering his voice was naturally quiet. Francis only nodded and looked to his friends who had just joined the two.

"This is mon petite (my little) cousin Matthieu, he is the owner of this bookstore. Matthieu this is mes amies (my friends) Antonio and Gilbert." Francis introduced waving his hands in-front of each person he named.

"Matthew, Matthew? Where have I heard that name before?" Antonio pondered, scratching his chin in thought.

"Ah! Lo siento (I'm sorry), I remember! We've done business in the past. It is nice to see you again Mateo." Antonio confirmed. He extended his hand and Matthew shook it with a smile and responded,

"It's nice to see you again as well. I hope everything went well on your end, I didn't get a chance to confirm it myself." Matthew remembered their contract very well. Francis was the one to recommend him to his friend. It was quite an easy contract to complete: find and retrieve a missing person. It was quite messy as there were a lot of people that were taken care of. Most of the people that were killed were just bystanders to Antonio's rage for his lost lover, the rest were offed by Matthew. When he had delivered Antonio's short tempered Italian, he was instructed to leave him in a park for pick up and to leave once there, as to not draw suspicion. He received his payment the next day and never thought he would ever see this man again.

"Of course, everything was fine! Lovi wasn't too happy about it but it was fine in the end!" He told the taller man. Matthew could see that the man named Gilbert was standing there with his arms crossed, looking everywhere except Matthew.

"Well that's good." Matthew stated. Sensing that the conversation was over the man named Gilbert sprung to life and yelled,

"I AM ZHE AWESOME GILBERT BEILSCHMIDT!" scaring the timid Canadian in the process. Gilbert only found this hilarious as he laughed loudly. It sounded like a bunch of snakes were fangirling.

"Um, hello." Matthew said, feeling his cheeks grow hot from the large blush that continued to grow on his cheeks. The loud man had a German accent that had Matthew blushing redder than the sweater he was wearing. Up close Matthew could see that the man wore a black and silver cross around his neck, had a stud in his ear and had a small blush of his own spread on his checks.

"So, Matthieu, I was wondering if the supplies I ordered had come in yet." Francis asked eyeing the taller man in-front of him. Wiggling his eyes as he did so. Matthew thought for a moment, putting his finger to his chin and replied,

"Uh, oui, I have them in the back. Did you want them now, then?" Francis shook his head yes and ushered Matthew away from his friends towards the storage room of the building.

"Merci (Thank you), Matthieu. I noticed something between you and Gilbert back there. Honhonhonhon." Francis laughed noticing how the Canadian turned away to hide his large blush.

When they got to where Matthew kept his business deals he looked at Francis and sighed, shaking his head. "Francis, who is Gilbert, really? He is not like us, is he?" Matthew said with a small frown on his face.

Francis only sighed and waited as Matthew got his new "supplies" out of the safe in the back. Handing the light box to Francis, Matthew asked, "You haven't told him aboot anything, have you? You know how Arthur would react." Matthew and Francis shuddered at the memory of the angry Brit-gone-berserk. The last time anyone even thought of the idea of revealing themselves (Alfred) it wasn't a pleasant month for the poor victim of Arthur's crazy drug experiments.

"Non, I'm not as stupid as some would think." Francis said flipping his hair out of his face and gesturing for Matthew to give him the box. Francis checked the contents of the package quickly and finding satisfaction with the contents he hugged Matthew once more and started walking back to where they left the other two men. Matthew followed behind timidly, wondering if he would ever see the man that he had grown so attached too even though he had just met him five minutes ago.

As Matthew returned to the counter Francis and his friends were almost out the door. "Au revoir, mon petite (Good bye, my little) Matthew! I'll see you around!" he said waving his free-hand in the air at Matthew while the other held the box, with Francis's new "supplies."

"Adios (Good bye) Mateo! I hope we could do business again!" Antonio called back, causing Matthew to look down and see a slip of paper. He opened it curiously and read the three words written down in messy hand writing. Call Me ~Gilbert the note read, underneath it was a phone number. Matthew jerked his head up and looked at the albino questioningly. Gilbert only winked back and mouth the same words that where written on the paper: _Call me_. Matthew smiled back and nodded his head. At this the albino blushed and hurried to catch up with his departing friends who were poking and jabbing at him.

Matthew watched them leave and got out his phone to put in Gilbert's number before he forgot. He wanted to spend a longer time with and get to know the mysterious normal man. Well not all normal he is friends with Francis and Antonio. Matthew chuckled to himself and once again prepared to close down his normality for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Hey guys Chapter 3 is done! Our little Mattie and Gilly have finally met each other.**
> 
> **Thank you all for reading this fanfiction and hopefully I will write the next chapter faster. If you like this story please comment, leave kudos, subscribe, and bookmark this fanfiction! And I'll see you guys later! (✿◠‿◠)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Bold** \- Francis responding on the phone  
>  _'Italics'_ \- In Gilbert's head

****_When I walk in the spot (yeah), this is what I see (ok)_  
Everybody stops and they staring at me  
I got passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to--

Gilbert's eyes snap open upon hearing the ringtone of his friend go off on his phone, which happened to be right next to his ear. His bird, Gilbird, chirped annoyed that the loud song ha awoken him too. Gilbert picked up the accursed device that had ruined his slumber from the nightstand, clenching his fast beating heart as he did.

"Uhhhggg, jou have zhe vorst timing, Franny!"Gilbert groaned getting up and wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

" **I think I have waited long enough. Its 3 in the afternoon, mon ami (my friend).** " Francis said scoffing at the not-at-all shocking time of day the albino slept in until.

"Is it really?" Gilbert pondered aloud, making Francis sigh in disappointment.

" **Oui and for those of us who actually have a job, it is in the middle of working hours.** " Francis said sarcastically.

"Vhy jou gotta be so mean, Franny. Just because I don't currently have a job doesn't mean jou are any more AWESOME zhen zhe AWESOME me! Anyvay, vhy did jou call me?" Gilbert asked grumpily, suspicious of what his friend could ask for.

" **Well, since you asked me ever so nicely, I need you to get some pants on and look presentable.** "

"Jour not setting me up on anozher double date are jou? Don't jou remember vhat happened last time? I zhink I'll pass." The Prussian said wincing at the memory of the last time Francis incited him to a double date with some girl he had never met. It was truly a disaster. It wasn't like Gilbert intentionally messed the entire thing up because he wasn't interested in the girl but everything just happened really quickly and before he knew it his cheek was burning and the girl had stormed off. He had been dozing off on the date and he kinda feel asleep on the girl's chest. Apparently that wasn't very gentlemanly. Francis still had the nerve to tease him after it happened too!

" **Non, of course not."** Francis replied snickering at the memory of his friend's epic fail. **"We are going out today to go see mon petit (my little) cousin!** " Francis stated happily.

"Und who vould zhat be?" Gilbert tried to remember if Francis had ever mentioned a cousin but gave up after a few seconds, his tired brain not awake enough for thinking yet.

Francis gasped, " **Why mon petit (my little) Mathieu! The boy I practically raised into the adorable gentleman he is now. I have told you about him before, Gilbert.** " Francis stated with pride. The Prussian raised his eyebrows and grunted, still trying to process this information. ' _Vait, Francis vas able to successfully raise a child vizhout any problems? Vell now I have to meet him'_ Gilbert thought, his eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"So vhat jour saying is, zhat I have to leave the comfort of mein own home to go out into zhe cold outside vorld vhere ozher _people_ are?" Gilbert asked his friend, sarcasm coating every word spoken.

" **Oui, Gilbert, I know that you would much rather stay inside and be alone for the day, but the only thing is: oh, no, you don't have a choice. Toni and I will be at your place in thirty, see you then.** " Francis spoke matching the albino's sarcasm and hung up without letting Gilbert reply. Gilbert looked at his phone, grumbled nonsense and got up to start his day-- or afternoon.

"You know mon ami (my friend), you could have dressed up nicer." Francis stated once they were out of the house Gilbert shared with his brother, Ludwig.

"Jour message has been received, unfortunately the person jou are looking for NO LONGER GIVES A SHIT!" The cranky albino yelled to his friend/tormentor. Gilbert thought he looked fine in black skinny jeans, the AWESOME Prussian flag on his shirt, his favourite black leather jacket and his black combat boots.

"Hey, hey amigos (friends). Calm down." Antonio said trying to avoid his friends starting a war with each other. The three of them started to laugh after this.

They had decided to walk, since the store Francis's cousin owned was close to Gilbert's house.  
"So Franny, vhy are ve visiting jour cousin?" Gilbert asked.

"Si, you never told us why." The confused Spaniard looked over to his friend.

"Can I not just visit mon cher (my dear), Matthieu, with my two best friends." Francis answered lifting his hands in the air and shrugging.

"Ja, okay and Toni is straight." Gilbert mocked.

"Wha--hey! That was mean, Gil."Antonio said puffing his cheeks out to look mad.

"Fine, fine, I just ordered some things from him and I want them now, alright. Jeez. I _did_ want you to meet Matthieu as well, hitting two birds with one stone and all." Francis answered calmly. Shrugging again and tossing his hair out of his face.

"If zhat vas all vhy did jou not tell us? Jeez Francy-pants, jou know, jou don't have to be all secretive vizh us." Gilbert laughed it off and made a mental note to ask Francis about it later. Antonio just nodded and pointed to a shop we were close to.

"I think we are here, amigos (friends)." Antonio said. The store was called Beaver Tales.

"A book store, seriously?! Its still too early to be avake, much less to be reading." Gilbert complained as they walked closer to the store.

"Just because the rest of us have functioning brains that can read doesn't mean you should complain about your lack of." Francis teased, poking the albino in the side as Antonio laughed at Gilbert's expense. Since the three of them were best friends Gilbert knew all of hi friends' weaknesses, which include being poked in the side. Gilbert got Antonio back by poking him in the side and so the poking war began as they walked into the small store. As they walked in the smell of maple syrup infiltrated the Prussian's nose. The sugary sent of maple waking the albino up completely and energizing him. 

Between the laughing and poking Gilbert saw a man in read hurry back to the register from somewhere in the store. Declaring the war to be over the three straightened themselves out and Francis gasped running over to the boy behind the counter and smothering him in an embrace yelling,"Mon petit (My little) Matthieu!" as he did so. As Gilbert took in the features of the boy Francis raised, named Matthew, a light pink dusted the albino's face and he was once again poked by Antonio who smiled and snickered at Gilbert.

For once in his life Francis was right. The boy that was getting glomped to death was absolutely adorable. He was in a simple red hoody with jeans. Yet his long blond locks falling away from his cute little face made the Prussian's heart beat faster. His one stubborn curl that wouldn't get out of his face called to the madly blushing man. His large glasses that made him seem innocent looking, left Gilbert wanting to see if he really was that innoc--' _VAIT A SECOND JOU DUMMKOPF (IDIOT), JOU AREN'T EVEN GAY! VHAT IS VITH ZHESE ZHOUGHTS RUNNING AROUND JOUR HEAD! Besides jou just met zhe guy, jou don't even know his name yet--it's Matthew so suck on zhat brain--How about jou try to stay calm and just look avay. Jou vill survive zhis vithout making a fool of jourself. Look avay and breazh normally. Zhat's it, just keep calm und--ARG HE JUST SMILED AT US! HOW ARE VE SUPPOSED TO KEEP COOL UND BE STRAIGHT IF HE KEEPS SMILING AT US'. '_ The albino looked away trying to control his breathing while Antonio chuckled at his friends response.

As Francis waved them over the albino focused on the shelves of novels to his right and kept his eyes on that while Francis introduced the three of them. Matthew started talking to Antonio first and the albino stole quick glances when the cute man wasn't looking at him. He could make out the blush in the other mans face and internally squealed.

As the albino listened to their conversation he heard how Matthew had done business with Antonio before. ' _Vhat kind of business could a coffee shop owner und a book store owner have togezher? He's also got somezhing for Franny, just vhat does zhis kid get his hand's on?'_ The albino pondered what it could be that Francis didn't want to tell them he was picking up and what sort of things the cute guy in front of him could get for him.

As the conversation came closer to a close Gilbert noticed how close he was to the blond in front of him. His cheeks heated again and became red.  He also noticed that he hadn't said a word to this man yet. Gilbert panicked as the conversation ended and did the only thing his brain would let him do. He jumped up and screamed, "I AM ZHE AWESOME GILBERT BEILSCHMIDT!" scaring Matthew in the process. Gilbert laughed his loud cackle at this adorable display from the Canadian man. 

"Um, hello." Matthew replied. Gilbert noticed his face turning red. This only seemed to make Gilbert laugh harder. Trying desperately to think of a conversation but only squealing louder in his head. ' _OH MEIN GOTT, HE SPOKE TO US! OMG, OMG I CAN'T EVEN FORM A SENTENCE, ZHIS LITTLE SCHEIßE IS MAKING US ALL SOFT UND UNAWESOME. Verdammt (Dammit) Gilbert say something he's looking at us weird. DON'T JUST STAR AT HIM SAY SOMETHING ELSE GOTT JOU'RE SUCH AN DUMMKOPF (IDIOT)!'_

"So. Matthieu, I was wondering if the supplies I ordered had come in yet."Gilbert heard Francis say. ' _DANKE (THANK YOU) FRANNY! VERDAMMT (Damn) ZHAT VAS A CLOSE ONE!'_

"Uh, oui, I have them in the back. Did you want them now, then?" ' _ZHIS KID SPEAKS FRENCH TOO? Damn Franny, he really vas raised by jou--VAIT DON'T LEAVE YET!'_ Gilbert's mind yelled after the tow blonds who disappeared into the storage area. Gilbert heard snickering beside him and turned to see his friend/other tormentor trying desperately to hold in his laughter.

"Make one sound und die." Gilbert stated coldly, trying to keep a straight face as he too, found his actions to be unawesome yet hilarious. Antonio couldn't keep it in anymore and burst out laughing Gilbert soon joining him. 

"Lo siento Gilbert, but seriously"-he cleared his throat trying to form words without bursting into laughter--"I've never seen you like this before. Are you feeling okay? Or is Mateo, a man in which you never met before, just too awesome for the awesome you?"Antonio said trying his best to imitate his friends accent on the last part of the sentence.

"Shut up und hand me a piece of paper and a pen." The albino formed an idea in his mind and it required a piece of paper and a pen. The Spaniard complied with a confused look on his face. Gilbert thought hard about what to put on the paper and finally wrote a few simple words down along with his number of course. **Call Me~Gilbert,**  ' _That should be simple enough'_ Gilbert thought.

Gilbert heard foot steps approaching and threw the paper on the counter he knew Matthew would return too. He looked to Antonio who just smirked at him and turned around to see Francis walking towards him with Matthew going back to his post behind the counter. The albino felt disappointed that he didn't get to stay here longer but Francis was practically pushing him out of the door along with Antonio. Before they left the building he heard Francis tell Matthew, "Au revoir, mon petit (Good bye, my little) Matthieu! I'll see you around!" He waved good-bye and the albino turned to find Antonio saying his good byes as well, ' _SHOOT I didn't plan a good-bye think, Gilbert think!_  '

Once Antonio was finished his farewell Gilbert saw Matthew look to the paper and read it. He looked up and violet was met with crimson. Matthew gave a questioning look and Gilbert just mouthed the words back. He saw the Canadian smile back and nod. At this Gilbert blushed. ' _VERDAMMT (Dammit), VHY IS ZHIS GUY SO ADORABLE?!'_ Then Gilbert turned and went to catch up with his quickly retreating friends.

Once caught up Francis gave a knowing look and poked Gilbert in the side saying, "Hurt mon Matthieu and it will be the last thing you do." The French man said all of this with a smile on his face. Once Gilbert nodded the blond had started spouting non-sense about "L'Amour (Love)" and wouldn't stop until they arrived at the albino's house. Antonio would speak occasionally or add things about "his Lovino"from time to time. 

The other two men left Gilbert's house soon after, being told to "Shut zhe hell up!" by a very grumpy German. After the albino was alone, well as alone as one can be sharing a house with his younger brother, he went to his room and settled down to go back to bed. Thoughts of Matthew filled the Prussian's head and he smiled to himself. ' _Zhis vill be fun. Zhe AWESOME Me vill not lose! Matthew vill be mine!'_ Gilbert thought to himself as he settled down and dreamed of the blond he had fallen oh so head over heels for at first glance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter, so sorry that these last two were short. And now you've had a taste of what goes on in our favourite Prussian's head. I promise for longer chapters, it just may take a while to write them.**
> 
> **If you liked this fanfiction comment and hit that kudos button! Thank you all for reading it and I'll see you in the next chapter. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧**


	5. Chapter 5

With his book store closed for the day, Matthew decided to take a walk and scope out the surrounding area of where Ivan lived again. But since he didn't have his car, Matthew couldn't stay very long to look at the surrounding area. He made a mental note to bring his car with him next time, for he was tired just walking there but even more so since he was running on the 4 hours of sleep he had gotten the night before.

As Matthew neared his destination he could see that, with the hour much later than before the crack of dawn, there were plenty of people around. Many of the businesses there were open too, he could see a coffee shop right in front of the hotel and decided to go in for a bit and maybe see if he could find a good vantage point to watch for the Braginky's in the place. The entire walk over the one thing that Matthew shouldn't be focusing on, the one-and-awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt, was the only thing he thought about. The albino infiltrated his thoughts and Matthew realized he was standing in front of the small cafe named, **The Hideout**. _Well that's ironic, especially for my purposes_ Matthew thought with a giggle as he got closer to the doors.

Walking inside Matthew was assaulted with the smells of sugar from the available pastries and the lifesaving coffee one could order. The place was almost as heavenly as the Canadian's beloved Tim Horton's. Matthew ordered a coffee, black and made his way to a booth by the window with a perfect view of the hotel. _Great, now I won't look like a complete stalker-just an average joe sitting in a coffee shop. Perfect_ Matthew thought to himself with a small smile as his reward for being so brilliant.

He looked around the shop and made sure no one was looking at him. In one smooth motion Matthew reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle of maple syrup and poured it into his coffee. Drinking the maple concoction, he closed his eyes and sighed in delight, taking in the wonderful scents the little cafe produced. What he didn't notice was a pair of dark violet eyes watching him from a corner of the cafe. The man with darker eyes smiled and got up from his hiding place to investigate the adorable man across the room.

As the man walked to the table Matthew currently sat at, his eyes darted around the room making sure he wasn't noticed by too many people. Matthew opened his eyes and followed the movement of a tan trench coat. He looked at who the odd fashion statement belonged too and found the man he was supposed to kill walking in his direction. Matthew put on a straight face as the man came closer. _What is he doing here? I mean sure, he lives across the street, but I thought he rarely left his room-much less go out to a place with no vodka? And why didn't I notice him earlier?!_ Matthew thought to himself.

Ivan picked up speed and smiled at the cute man close to him. They made eye contact and Ivan felt his heart melt as his cold eyes met innocent violet ones. He saw that the man didn't cringe or look away from him but instead, the man just smiled back and, for the first time in a while, he felt his cheeks grow the tiniest bit warm, with the beginning of a blush forming. Ivan decided that it was safe to wave at the man and to his surprise he waved back with a blush of his own forming.

"Hallo, is seat taken?" Ivan said to the man before him, gesturing to the seat across from him.

"N-no, not at all." Matthew answered timidly putting up his innocent face. He made himself form a larger blush on his cheeks so that he seemed weak and small to his prey. _If he sees me as weak then he won't think I could slit his throat before he even had the time to gawk_ Matthew thought gruesomely. He looked up at the giant smiling towards him and gestured for him to sit down. Ivan did and tried to gather air into his lungs. The poor man had never felt like this before, especially not for another human being.

"Thank you. My name is Ivan, da." He said as he sat down and continued to stare at the man now so close to him.

"Matthew." Matthew said and put his hand out for the man to shake. _Though I already know a lot about you already_ Matthew sang in his head.

"Matvey." Ivan breathed to himself and shook Matthew's hand. "That is nice name." Ivan complimented back, smiling.

"Oh-uh, t-thank you." Matthew said willing himself to blush again. He giggled, scratched his cheek and averted his eyes from Ivan's gaze, completing his innocent look. The Russian man smelled horridly of alcohol and it took Matthew everything he had to keep smiling get instead of gagging. He looked pretty normal--as normal as a 6 ft. guy in a trench coat and scarf could look, but Matthew knew not to trust anything he said. For all he knew, Ivan could know everything and was waiting for Matthew to let his guard down or maybe he really was that desperate for companionship and acceptance that he was willing to try to reach out to others. _Too bad I have to kill him_ Matthew thought taking another sip of his coffee and sighing as the awkward silence began to stretch on.

"Matvey, if you are not busy, could we go for walk? I know nice quiet park, da? It is not far." Ivan said to break the silence. His eyes darted around looking anywhere except Matthew. His smile re-appearing as his nerves calmed.

"Eh? Um, s-sure. I'm free." Matthew replied, making the Russian man smile and begin to stand.

"Follow me, da?" Ivan told Matthew, leaving the booth they were occupying. He turned around to make sure Matthew was following him and proceeded to leave The Hideout.

Now that Matthew was energized, the walk to the park didn't seem as bad as the walk to the coffee shop from work. Matthew enjoyed learning about Ivan as he asked questions and told Ivan a little about himself too. _It feels nice, being normal for once_ Matthew thought with longing. He sighed as they reached a bench and sat down together.

"What is bothering you, Matvey?" Ivan asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Huh? I-its n-nothing, really." Matthew stammered back, taking deep breaths. _I can't tell if I am acting or if I'm just this stressed out_ Matthew thought to himself.

"Matvey, please." Ivan said looking into his eyes, pleading with him. _I need to relax_ Matthew breathed in deeply. He thought about how to answer the Russian, given everything that was going on with work, his brother, the cute albino he was introduced to, and most of all how he was going to kill this man later. He exhaled.

Matthew covered his face with his hands and said, "A lot is going on right now and I'm trying to please everyone but nothing is working out. Everyone has such high expectations but, I'm afraid I'll blow it." He said as he dropped his head and sighed once again.

"Here, this will help, da?" Ivan said as he pulled a small bottle of dark purple liquid out of his coat pocket. _Damn I just met him and he is already trying to drug me, huh? I guess I have to accept so he can bring me to his place, I just hope he doesn't find my blades_ Matthew thought as he looked up at the man smiling the same innocent smile as he had earlier but this time their was a dark aura around him. One way or another he was going to end up drinking whatever was in that bottle.

Matthew looked into Ivan's eyes and took the bottle. Thanking him, Matthew put the mouth of the bottle to his lips. He shrugged, _Bottoms up_ Matthew thought bitterly. He waited and looked at Ivan as his vision started to blur and he couldn't hold himself up anymore. He fell and Ivan caught him. The last thing Matthew could hear before he was out cold was Ivan whispering into his ear, "I, will never leave you, my sunflower." Then the world went dark.

**~Time Skip~**

_Where am I? What happened?_ Matthew thought as he tried to move his hands to wipe his face. "What the--"Matthew said aloud as he felt that his hands couldn't move, he then realized he had been tied up. Matthew tugged hard on the bonds that restrained his arms as he recalled what had happened earlier that day.

He took a look around the room he was being kept in, it was dark but his eyes had adjusted as he felt feeling in his limbs return. He looked down and breathed out a sigh of relief, thanking what ever divine being had blessed him, as he saw that he was fully clothed with not even his shoes being touched by the psychopath known as Ivan. This meant that Ivan hadn't found his knives yet or had found out who Matthew was, at least, he hoped that was the case. Matthew noticed the faint light streaming out of the sides of the curtains, the furniture neatly pushed to the edge of the room and the hunched over figure sitting on one of the chairs near-by. The man, Matthew presumed was Ivan, his captor, was draining a bottle of vodka as the two men made eye contact with each other.

Ivan polished off the bottle and set it down near the wall Matthew was leaning on for support. The poor boy still didn't have complete feeling left in his body and all he could manage was a glare in Ivan's direction. Ivan smirked at this and stood up. He walked over to Matthew and knelt down, grabbing Matthew's chin in his hand.

With vodka stained breath he whispered, "No one will make you feel stressed anymore, my little sunflower. It is just you and me forever now, da." Ivan looked into Matthew's eyes and leaned down as to kiss his captive. Matthew took this opportunity to head-butt Ivan's face. He was rewarded by a sharp crack and a nose bleed from Ivan who was knocked back a few feet and gave him a disappointed look.

"You... will not touch... me!" Matthew managed out, his voice raspy and acidic. His throat on fire from the last thing he had drank, the bottle of sedatives. Ivan just cam closer and grabbed Matthew by his bangs and pulled him forward ignoring the grunts of pain from Matthew. Ivan bent down and put his lips to Matthew's ears and whispered,

"And who are you to tell me that. Remember your place, pet." Ivan then let go of his hair and proceeded to the back of the room. He bent down and grabbed a long metal object that Matthew couldn't quite make out, but the instant Ivan took a step closer, with that demonic grin on his face, Matthew remembered the note about the water pipe. _Oh maple, why do I always get the crazies_ Matthew thought, reflecting on his bad luck.

Ivan took a step closer to Matthew and swung the pipe. It connected. Hard. Poor Matthew only had time to begin his plan of escape while he was awake, now it would have to wait for when he awoke. The only thing Matthew could hear as he fought for consciousness was the ringing in his own ears. And the world went dark for the second time that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Ooh, cliff hanger! Hey guys I'm back with another update! I'm sorry, I'm not usually one to do this sort of thing but I thought that you guys deserved a chapter for waiting so long and here it is! The next chapter will hopefully be out soon, so stay tuned!**
> 
> **If you guys like this fanfiction press that kudos button and leave a comment! Thank you guys so much for reading and being patient with me for so long! As always, I will see you guys in the next update! ~(◕‿-)~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Bold** \- Francis responding on the phone

~Ivan~

_He is mine._

_He belongs to me._

_No one can take him away from me._

_No one will make him stressed or hurt him ever again._

**_My_ ** _Sunflower and I will stay here together forever and ever._

_He will love me as I love him._

_One day he will become one with me, da._

This repeats itself mercilessly and without end. Over and over in Ivan's mind. The poor man didn't mean to kidnap this nice person nor do such horrible things to him, his mind just, slipped. This is happening a lot more than usual. Alcohol is the only thing that can keep his inner, sadistic self at bay. _It's not working now though, is it?_ The beast taunts, taking over his mind once again. All Ivan can do is watch in horror at the things he does.

~Matthew~

It has only been 4 hours and already it seems like days have passed. The headaches, the verbal abuse and the water pipe are the only things Matthew can recall from the few hours he's spent with the psychopath in front of him. He has yet to blow his cover or be searched for his weapons. Both of which have yet to be useful as he is hit hard over the head yet again.

The world is black for the millionth time that day, but this time it's different, this time Matthew's mind still works, he isn't just floating or having weird dreams. The pain is still there, stinging in the back of his mind, but he focuses on trying to formulate a plan. He notices that the image of Ivan's apartment comes to his mind and puts together his plan, in full detail.

_This is why they called us The Boss, isn't it?_ He thought. The plan Matthew thought of formed perfectly in his mind, then, while taking deep breaths he admired the peace he felt as he wasn't actively getting beaten over the head. Another deep breath helped to calm his mind, as one could never work with emotions on a job like this. He stilled, listening to his surroundings for signs of his captor's movement. The apartment was quiet; the only sounds to be heard were the two men's breathing and the noise of people living their everyday life outside of the window. It's funny, how people are going on with their lives and not suspecting anything is going on inside this one room.

Matthew shifted trying to locate his hidden weapons in his sweater. While keeping his eyes closed, Matthew tested the strength of the ropes that held him. They were loose, as they should be, considering for the last four hours he had been struggling and loosening them. _Jackpot_ the Canadian thought, as he felt the familiar metal brush up against his fingers as he wedged his hand up his sleeve in his search. The last step was going to be the hardest, as now all he had to do was cut the bonds and finish the rest of his mission by killing Ivan and then looking for any valuable items he might possess.

When Matthew deemed Ivan was still, he opened his eyes and looked around, trying to ignore the burning pain behind his eyes and in his head. Ivan sat a couple of feet away on a chair hunched over, with his face in his hands. Everything else in the room seemed normal, nothing was touched from when he first arrived. The only difference was the thousands of vodka bottles lying near the broken man. He also noticed that the water pipe was left just next to Matthew and out of Ivan's reach.

Matthew twisted his hand that gripped the knife, tugging and twisting silently, trying to cut through the ropes that held him. Soon the ropes fell off without a sound then he started on the ones tying his legs together. He kept his eyes on Ivan the entire time hoping the man wouldn't turn toward him. Slowly, Matthew felt the feeling in all of his limbs come back then his last bonds fell to the floor silently.

Ivan, being none the wiser to his now free and very pissed off captive, still had his head in his hands and was hunched over. Matthew tested his legs and arms by stretching them out silently, hoping that nothing would crack and tip off his target to anything. Luckily everything stayed silent and Matthew was able to move. So, he got up and searched for another of his knives, just in case Ivan was pretending not to notice him. He neared Ivan an heard him mumble something to himself. It was in another language, Russian, Matthew guessed. He didn't really care or want to know what Ivan was saying, so he got closer to the man and put his face to Ivan's ear.

"Did you really think you could keep me here?" Matthew taunted in a whispered voice. Ivan tensed up and turned his head slowly toward Matthew. When Matthew saw the fear in Ivan's eyes he started laughing. Ivan just sat there staring at Matthew.

"You know, I really enjoyed our time together but, you Ivan, are a very wanted man. Did you know that Arthur Kirkland sent someone to bring your head to him on a silver platter? Oh! And that he wants everything you've stolen up until know to pay off your debt? Really, did you think you could outsmart Arthur by staying in here?" Matthew crinkled his nose at the messy state and gestured to with his knives towards the room they were in.

"You are here to kill me, da?" Ivan asked letting fear slip into his voice as his eyes were still locked with Matthew's.

"Ding, ding, ding! Well, looks like someone's a genius." Matthew said, sarcasm leaking from his words.

"I have a question for you," Matthew said giggling at the unamused expression he received from his use of sarcasm, "Where exactly is everything you stole, and if your answer is 'I sold it for alcohol' or anywhere along the lines of: 'go to hell' I think I might just have to have a little chat with your adorable sisters. Maybe they'll be able to join you, in hell that is." Matthew said cheerily to the man in front of him. Ivan had a horrified expression on his face but quickly wiped it off and put on a smirk.

"You can do what you want with Katyusha but do not put a hand on Natalia, or else." Ivan threatened.

"It seems to me like you have some family issues, if you're willing to throw your sister under the bus like that. But I have only been tasked to kill you and take your valuables. I don't have to kill them too." Matthew said ignoring the 'or else' threat, as the man in front of him couldn't do anything from beyond the grave. Ivan thought for a moment and looked around the room, he spotted the clock and smirked at the time displayed, then he saw his water pipe leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room.

"Now, now. I think I should advise you against going for your beloved water pipe over there but, that's your call. I'd still like you to answer my previous question, Ivan. Where do you keep your stolen valuables?" Matthew asked looking bored.

"Poshel na khuy." Ivan responded in Russian.

"I've got no idea what you just said. But, I think I'm going to be paying a little visit to your sisters. Right after I kill you, of course." Matthew said, giggling at the last part.

A growl was emitted by the large man and as he stared at Matthew he sighed and huffed his shoulders. At the strange sound Matthew pressed the two knives at Ivan's neck deeper into the man's flesh. Blood started to flow down Ivan's throat from the two puncture holes Matthew had made. Matthew looked down at the colour, admiring the bright red flowing down the pale man's skin.

"It really is pretty, don't you think? Oh wait, you can't see it." Matthew said silently. "The red of your blood. It represents so much yet we barely give the colour a second glance. It's pretty, the way it is slowly gliding down your throat, yet all it means now is that you have a cut." Matthew said more to himself than to Ivan, who had stopped moving completely.

Matthew got closer to Ivan and prepared himself to deal the final blow to this empty shell of a man. He noticed that Ivan's eyes were dilated and red along the edges. He truly did look like a psychopath. Ivan then bowed his head and sighed as if he had been defeated. Taking this opportunity Matthew guided his knives across the man's neck forcefully, meeting in the middle.

Ivan's eyes snapped open and looked to Matthew in shock as he started to choke on the blood surfacing from the fatal wound granted to him. In a surge of adrenaline Ivan got up and pushed Matthew over. But adrenaline enough couldn't save the dying man in front of Matthew, as he too fell over and was struggling towards his water pipe a few meters away. One arm was outstretched and the other clung to his neck. Gurgling sounds could be heard as Ivan's head fell to the floor in his final seconds. Ivan's eyes were still open as the light drained from them completely.

"Spasibo... chto spas... menya ot sebya (Thank you for saving me from myself)." Ivan choked out before he finally closed his eyes. The sound of Ivan's head hitting the ground was the only audible sound in the apartment, even the sounds of the outside world were muted as Matthew gazed at the body before him. He continued to stare at Ivan, thinking he might open his eyes and come back to life like the killers from some of the horror movies Alfred made Matthew watch with him.

Once Matthew's imagination was done playing out creepy scenes in his head, Matthew got up and took a better look around the room he had been trapped inside of all day. The walls were painted a light blue that had dulled with age. The lights were turned off, all except a floor-lamp that was sitting next to the chair Ivan had previously occupied. Matthew's eyes flickered over to Ivan once more as he made sure the body hadn't moved from his final resting place. _Step 1 complete_ Matthew thought with a sigh. He moved his eyes away from the body that was still slowly bleeding out into a pool of rich crimson that had formed around it.

_Now all I have to do is find anything valuable and I'm home free_ Matthew thought as he started to walk back over to the fully dead man on the floor. He crouched down and started digging through Ivan's pockets searching for anything the man could have stuffed in his large tan coat. Matthew shifted to the other side of Ivan and continued his search. As he was checking Ivan's front pant pocket he heard the door unlock. Matthew's head shot up in surprise and were met with two pairs of eyes staring back.

Dark blue eyes, full of hate, widened at the sight of her brother, who wasn't moving, on the floor under a man whose hands were stained with blood. The taller female next to her had her eyebrows raised in surprise at the sight before her. Neither sister moved an inch and were locked in a staring contest with the violet eyed man in front of them.  _Oh no_ Matthew thought, his mind going into overdrive trying to find a way out of his predicament. But as fate would have it, their staring contest was broken by the shorter of the girls running forward and grabbing knives out of her dress.

"You killed vialiki brat (big brother)!" Natalia yelled as she got closer to Matthew. Katyusha was still in the doorway, petrified as the scene unfolded in front of her eyes. Matthew stood up and gripped the knives he had in his hands with white knuckles as Natalia charged forward. She came at him and made a move to slash his throat out. Matthew dodged and countered with a slash that mirrored Natalia's. It missed as Natalia crouched down and jumped back a few feet.

She came forward, yelling obscenities at Matthew and slashed at his chest, shredding his sweater in the process. Matthew felt the blood before he could see it; the red liquid seeped through the remains of his sweater. The wound wasn't deep enough to do any damage but it still eliminated the possibility of walking home since it would be noticed by others. _Well, it doesn't look like she'll let me leave here alive so it looks like she will see you in hell Ivan_ Matthew thought as he lunged forward with incredible speed and jabbed his knives into the younger female's chest, praying one of the blades hit her heart. He closed his eyes as he waited for any sort of retaliation as he was too close to move away.

As nothing came in contact Matthew opened his eyes to find Natalia staring at him with utter rage in her eyes. Yet she still didn't move to kill Matthew. He looked down to where his fingers were still gripping the knives sunk deep into the girl's chest. A cough came from Natalia and blood fell from her mouth and the area around her heart. Matthew took his knives out of their target with practised ease and stared deep into Natalia's hateful eyes as she fell to the floor and stopped moving completely. Matthew sighed in relief.

"Natalia, Ivan please don't leave me." Matthew heard a strangled voice say. He turned and found the last member of the Braginsky family. She was in tears as she stared at the scene before her and with a hand to her mouth she finally looked back up at her family's murderer. Matthew couldn't decide if she wanted to kill him, break down in tears, or continue staring until she is awoken from a bad dream. Matthew didn't want to stick around to find out. Unfortunately she was blocking the only exit and Matthew wasn't too keen on learning if there was a fire escape attached to the building.

"Y-you killed th-them. Both o-of them." She stuttered out.

"To my defence, he did kidnap me." Matthew said uneasily. Katyusha looked up with wide red eyes.

"I-I knew that brat (brother) took a liking to someone earlier today and that's why he called us over but I-I didn't think... this is..." She said trying to compose herself.  Matthew bowed his head and looked guiltily at the floor. It wasn't his fault that her brother pissed off Arthur and had to deal with his punishment. But now his sisters had to face it too.

"Look, I-I'm s--"

"I don't know if I should kill you or hug you." She interrupted. Matthew's head shot up and a confused look crossed his face as he stared at the woman in front of him. She only laughed at his expression.

"I love my family, I really do, but I notice a few screws were loose in both their heads and when I tried to get brat (brat) to stop drinking all I did was piss them both off, I just got on speaking terms with Natalia." Katyusha explained to the man before her.

"Well I'm glad and all that you don't entirely want to kill me, so if you'll please guide me to any valuables you three have, I will return the favour. And I won't take all of your money, if that's what you're worried about." Matthew said with a fake smile, trying to get something out of this weird ordeal.

"I care not for anything brat (brother) has stolen... Everything is in brief-case in other room, under bed." Katyusha said turning on the light in the room. Matthew could make out another door in the room and followed Katyusha as she walked through it.

On the other side was the bedroom with a desk and chair, dresser, and bed. Matthew followed Katyusha to the other side of the bed and watched her with his knives at the ready in case she tried anything. She crouched down and lifted the sheets over the bed, then she stuck her arm under the bed and pulled out a large box. She hefted it up and offered it to Matthew, who looked at it warily. Katyusha saw his hesitation and sighed then opened the brief-case and showed its contents to Matthew.

Inside the brief-case was a large wad of bills, some necklaces, and a couple of rings. All of the items looked valuable as Matthew took a closer look at them. Then he reached inside and grabbed the wad of bills. He removed the rubber band and took half of it away. To Katyusha's surprise, Matthew outstretched his hand and gave her the money in his hand.

"I'm sure Arthur can live without a couple hundred." Matthew said nonchalantly. Katyusha looked from Matthew's outstretched hand to his face to make sure he wasn't pulling her leg. She quickly took the cash and pocketed it.

"Dyakuyu (Thank you)." The Ukrainian mumbled as she waited for Matthew to retie the money and put it back in the box. Matthew pulled his arm out and waited for the woman to close to case before taking it from her and turning around.

"I recommend moving somewhere and changing your identity." Matthew said as he walked out of the room.

"Thank you, Matvey." Katyusha said, making the man pause. _The girl must have done her research too_ Matthew thought.

"Good luck, Katyusha." Matthew said in a soft tone without turning around. He then left the apartment and made it out into a nearby alleyway without anyone seeing him full of blood. He then searched his pockets for his cell phone hoping that it wasn't crushed from the days' activities. Luckily it was fine, save for a few dents on the edges. He dialed up the familiar number and waited for the man to pick up.

" **Ah, 'ello?** " Francis said as soon as he picked up his phone.

"Hello Francis, its Matthew."

" **Ah! Mon petit (My little) Matthieu! How are you?** " Francis's said his voice brightening.

"Honestly, I've had better nights. Which is why I called, do you mind picking me up. I'm in the city and can't walk home."

" **Oui, of course, I could never say no to you. But you do owe me one, okay?** " Francis replied the noise of paper being moved the only sound in the background. " **Do you know the address, Mon Cher (My Dear)**?" 

"Uh, yeah." Matthew replied telling Francis the street he was on. "I'm in an alley next to the hotel here."

" **Matthieu? Pourquoi êtes-vous à côté de l'appartement de Ivan Braginsky (Why are you near Ivan Braginsky's apartment)?** "

"Arthur wanted his money back." Matthew stated.

" **So Angleterre sent _you_?!** " Francis half screamed into the phone. Matthew was getting tired fast; he had his back up against the wall and slid down into a sitting position.

"Oui, and if you could hurry, I don't know how much longer I can stay conscious." Matthew replied tiredly. 

" **I am on my way now, Mon Cher (My Dear)! I'll be there in cinq (5).** " Francis replied and hung up. Matthew turned off his phone and looked up at the dark sky. It was past nightfall and with his shirt cut open Matthew was starting to feel cold. He was usually never bothered by it but now he was wishing for more jackets. 

Sleep called to him, it promised warmth and relief from the pain Matthew had begun to feel from the cold on his open cuts. Even though he knew he shouldn't lose consciousness, Matthew gave in to the lulls of sleep. He was vaguely aware of the three men that ran up to him and started to call his name. He ignored the calls in preference to the peace he felt. He then felt strong arms wrap around him and he snuggled into the source of heat next to him. Then he fully drifted into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter! Thank you guys for reading this fanfiction. If you like this fanfiction hit that kudos button, comment, bookmark, and subscribe! As always I will see you guys in the next update! (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ**


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Bold** \- Gilbert's Dream
> 
> **Bold Underlined** \- Canadian Please by Gunnarolla (Francis's ringtone for Matthew)
> 
> dummkopf - idiot (German)
> 
> mon petit - my little (French)
> 
> mon ami(s) - my friend(s) (French)
> 
> excusez-moi - excuse me (French)
> 
> Mon Cher - my dear (French)
> 
> merde - shit (French)
> 
> Pourquoi êtes-vous à côté de l'appartement de Ivan Braginsky - why are you next to Ivan Braginsky's apartment (French) 
> 
> Angleterre - Francis's nickname for Arthur
> 
> gute nacht - good night (German)

**~Gilbert~**

**"Vhere zhe hell am I?" Gilbert asked aloud to the empty street in front of him. He was outside, the stop signs and the street names clearly told him that. The road ahead was cracked and had blades of grass and other weeds growing out of it. The sky was a dull blue with patches of clouds letting light into the world bellow. On the sides of the broken road were houses that looked like they belonged in this area of rot and desolation.**

**Gilbert's head whipped around at the faint sound of laughter that catches his attention. It was a sweet sounding voice that pulled Gilbert towards the melodic noise. It was carried on the wind and filled Gilbert's ears with the sweet sound of it. The laughter lead him to the side of one of the abandoned homes. As he followed the voice it became louder. No longer being a whisper, Gilbert had to strain to hear the beautiful sound. It was faint but the sound lead Gilbert to a destroyed stone path leading to the back of the house.**

**Around the corner Gilbert saw that a man was standing with his back to him, facing the green forest at the edge of the property. He was tall, with shoulder length blond hair and was dressed in a mahogany red hoodie with white leaves dotting the lower-right side of the sweater. He had jeans on with black converse. His head was thrown back as he laughed at something with his angelic voice. Gilbert couldn't make out his face as his hair hid it from the albino's sight.**

**Gilbert was frozen in position as he tried to understand where he was, how he got there or why there was an incredibly hot man laughing to himself close to the woods. He stepped forward trying to get closer to the man without startling him. That plan failed unawesomely. As Gilbert was making his way towards the man he stepped on a piece of rotted wood and it had snapped under the pressure of his foot, making a loud cracking noise.**

**The man turned towards Gilbert with a smile still on his face, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Gilbert. The man's smile grew as he observed the albino's features. Gilbert took this opportunity to gaze at the other man's face. He had a gravity-defying curl that stuck to the side of the man's hair. As Gilbert's eyes travelled lower to the man's eyes recognition dawned on the albino's face as he gazed into the violet eyes of the man standing before him.**

**"Matthew?" Gilbert said faintly, his voice barely audible. At the mention of his name, Matthew brightened and stretched to his full height. The Canadian chuckled at Gilbert's dumbfounded expression and turned back to the forest. He then turned his head towards Gilbert and gave a teasing smirk to the albino then, he turned back to the forest and took off in a graceful run.**

**"Vait! Matthew, vhere are jou going?" Gilbert yelled after the retreating blond. The albino stood there trying his hardest to make sense of everything. Gilbert stood in place watching as Matthew got farther and farther away from him.** **_Vell aren't jou gonna go after him? Maybe jou can ask him important questions instead of staring at him like zhe dummkopf ve are._ ** **Gilbert jumped at hearing these thoughts and started into a less-than-graceful run behind the quickly retreating figure.**

**The trees moved by in blurs around Gilbert as he kept his eyes on the man who seemed to be getting farther and farther away the faster Gilbert ran. He could only make out the red in Matthew's hoodie as his figure started to blend into the greens of the forest in the surrounding area. Branches whipped at Gilbert's face leaving red scratch marks on his pale skin in short, thin lines as he ran after Matthew.**

**When he could no longer make out Matthew's form Gilbert stopped running and bent over to catch his breath. His breathing came in shallow, raspy breaths as he tried to calm down his racing heart. _Verdammt!_** **Gilbert thought as his breathing and heart rate returned to normal. Gilbert looked around and noticed at he was in a clearing with a lake that stretched out for miles.**

**The grass was green and well-kept with red and white flowers in full bloom dotting the area. The place looked serene and relaxing especially compared to the desolate wasteland Gilbert had passed through earlier. The lake was a pretty coral blue that reflected the trees around him in waves as the wind pushed the water towards Gilbert then away. He decided to take a seat near the lake to try to figure out what was happening.**

**All that Gilbert could think about was why and how he got there and why Matthew was here too. Gilbert was in the middle of contemplating his options when he felt as if he was being watched. Slowly, Gilbert turned his head and scanned the surrounding area for signs of potential threats. His eyes widened when they laid upon the figure he was desperately chasing only minutes ago.**

**Matthew wore a sad smile on his face as he gazed at Gilbert longingly. Gilbert felt his face heat up ever so slightly at the man's behaviour. Gilbert motioned for Matthew to come and sit next to him. Matthew followed the movement of Gilbert's hand with his eyes and looked as if he was going to run away again.**

**"Please." Gilbert tried. It had worked; as Matthew heard Gilbert plead he walked over to the albino and sat next to him admiring the reflection of the sun in the lake in front of him. Neither said a word as they looked out to the scenery around them. A while had passed before either said a word.**

**"So, vhy are ve here? Und vhere is here, exactly?" Gilbert asked Matthew turning to look at the blond next to him.**

**"You tell me, it's your dream." Dream Matthew replied not taking his eyes away from the blue in front of him.**

**"Huh." Was the albino's only reply, as he nodded his head and turned back to the body of water before him.**

**"So if zhis is a dream, zhen does zhat mean I can do vhatever I vant?" Gilbert asked dream Matthew, who only shrugged in response.**

**"I guess so." Dream Matthew said finally looking at Gilbert.**

**"Awesome." Gilbert said to himself. "Zhen zhat means I can finally do zhis." Gilbert said as he grabbed dream Matthew's chin and pulled him closer towards him.**

**"Gilbert, what are you doing?" The man asked in surprise.**

**"Something I've vanted to do for a vhile now." Gilbert said as he leaned in closer to dream Matthew. Dream Matthew's eyes closed as he too, leaned closer to Gilbert. Their lips were brought closer and closer until they were** \--

"GET UP BRUDER! IT IS PAST NOON AND JOUR DUMMKOPF FRIENDS ARE HERE!" Ludwig shouted while opening the sleeping Prussian's door after 5 minutes of unsuccessful knocking.

"VHAT IS VITH EVERYONE UND ZHEIR UNAWESOME TIMING!" Gilbert yelled as he rose from his sheets and crossed his arms. His dream was just getting good too.

"Honhonhonhon. It looks like we have interrupted Gilbert from a most _wonderful_ dream." Francis said with the emphasis on wonderful, as he popped his head into the doorway of his friend's room.

"Was it about Mateo?" Antonio asked teasingly, wiggling his eyebrows up and down at the albino.

"Non." Francis gasped.

"You had better not be having weird fantasies about mon petit Matthieu!" Francis stated while crossing his arms and trying to look mad. He broke down in laughter seconds later and was soon joined by Antonio. Ludwig was just standing at the door awkwardly not knowing when he should dismiss himself. Meanwhile Gilbert, with a flushed face, was glaring daggers at his friends who were holding their sides from laughing so hard.

"I'm going to leave now." Ludwig said as he shuffled out of the room with a distressed look on his pink shaded face. This only encouraged the duo to laugh harder at the poor albino.

"Shut up." The albino said half-heartedly, with a small smile on his face. After five more minutes of laughter and sore sides, the trio wiped their eyes and took deep breaths.

"It is time to go, non?" Francis asked once he composed himself from his earlier outbreak.

"Maybe we should let Gilbert, clean up first." Antonio asked while still giggling.

"We will be waiting by the door mon ami. Don't take forever." Francis said on his way to wait by the front door of the albino's house, Antonio following.

"Vhatever." Gilbert mumbled, getting himself out of bed and moving sluggishly towards his tiny bathroom.

**~Time Skip brought to you by the fact that I haven't done one since chapter 3 or something~**

"Oh come on mon ami, admit it! You _so_ have a crush on mon petit Matthieu!" Francis exclaimed, his head pressed against the back of his couch. In his hand was a half-empty glass of wine, which he was staring into deeply while swishing around the red liquid inside.

"It is obvious, and that's coming from me." Antonio said looking over to his albino friend who hadn't responded or insulted either man since they had arrived at Francis's house. After they, of course, went out for drinks. Who says noon is a bad time for drinking. The entire day Gilbert's dream had been on his mind repeating and making him blush constantly. Of course he blamed that on the alcohol he had consumed earlier. _If I wasn't gay before, I am now_ he thought as he pictured how close he was to 'something he had wanted to do for a while now'.

"Vill jou guys drop it already!" Gilbert sighed in frustration. It had been a long day as it was full of questions and assumptions like this.

"Non, Gilbert. Since we are your friends and Matthieu is basically my son, it is our responsibility to tease you." Francis answered taking another sip of his wine.

**The French have got the wine and cheese**   
**Koalas chill with the Aussies**   
**But I know that you wanna be Canadian**

"Excusez-moi." Francis said grabbing his phone and leaving the room.

"Vhat kind of ringtone is zhat?" Gilbert sputtered, laughing at the lyrics.

"Maybe it's Mateo's. He is Canadian isn't he?" Antonio chuckled next to the albino. Wanting to hear the conversation, Gilbert stood up and walked out of the room to find a good eavesdropping spot near Francis, who was in the kitchen, Antonio close on his heels. Gilbert stood near the door to the kitchen and listened in on the conversation.

"--ow are you?" Francis asked the caller. There was a pause as the other person was speaking. Gilbert strained to hear the caller but the voice was too quiet and couldn't reach his ears.

"Oui, of course, I could never say no to you. But you do owe me one, okay?" Francis replied as he searched his counter for something.

"Do you know the address, Mon Cher?" Francis asked as he successfully found a piece of paper and a pen. There was another pause and the sound of Francis scribbling something down. He looked at the address and wore a confused expression on his face.

"Matthieu? Pourquoi êtes-vous à côté de l'appartement de Ivan Braginsky?" Francis asked, confusing Gilbert and Antonio by speaking his own language. They still heard two names, Matthew and Ivan. The second name sent shivers done the albinos back and, out of the corner of his eye, Gilbert saw Antonio stiffen at the mention of the second name. Francis started pacing around the kitchen and began to pick up objects like his keys and wallet. As he neared the door the two briefly heard a soft voice, undoubtedly Matthew's, on the other end reply with, "--wanted his money back." Francis gasped.

"So Angleterre sent _you_?!" He whisper-screamed back to Matthew. _If Franny is so riled up somezhing must be happening. Is it serious? Is Matthew okay? Who vanted zheir money back? Vhere is Matthew? Vhat if he's hurt? Hurry und hang up so jou can tell us vhat zhe hell is going on!_

"I am on my way now, Mon Cher! I'll be there in 5." Francis replied and hung up his phone. He sighed once and closed his eyes.

"Merde." He whispered. Gilbert barged into the kitchen and without warning grabbed Francis by the collar. The Frenchmen's eyes widened and looked up into the angry eyes of his friend.

"How much did you hear?" Francis asked, trying to get out of the albino's grasp.

"About all of it." Antonio answered stepping into the kitchen as well.

"Well then you know we need to hurry then." Francis said looking serious for once.

"Vell, vhat are jou vaiting for? Let's go save Birdie!" Gilbert said as he dropped Francis's collar and ran out of the kitchen and towards Francis's car. The two left in the kitchen shared a knowing glance and followed soon after.

It took 10 minutes overall to get to the alley Matthew was in. After Francis had explained that Matthew was attacked and hurt the albino was furious and started yelling profanities in German. The rest of the time was spent in tense silence; while the Prussian was thinking for all the ways he would hurt who ever touched his Birdie. Yes HIS Birdie. _Damn, I don't even know anything about this kid yet I'm already being possessive._

"We are here mon amis."Francis declared, pointing to the apartment building he had parked near.

"He should be in that alleyway." The Frenchmen said while pointing to a small space between the apartment building and the flower shop to the right. The hotel was decent looking, with a brown brick exterior and glass doors leading into the establishment. The flower shop next door was just the same with dull brown bricks and bright light coming from the display window. 

None of the men noticed any of these details though as they hurriedly threw their doors open and raced into the place they would find their friend. Gilbert got his door open first and bolted towards the alleyway, Francis and Antonio following soon after.

"Matthew!" Gilbert called out hoping for a response. When none came he ran deeper into the alley looking around frantically and shouting the boy's name. He was so concentrated on his task to find Matthew that Gilbert didn't notice Francis and Antonio approach him to help in the search. Putting his hand on Gilbert's shoulder, Francis gave a nod of assurance to his friends and began to shout Matthew's name and look around, as did Antonio, followed by Gilbert.

A body could be seen not to far from where Gilbert had continued to look. As Gilbert got closer there was a strong smell in the air that sent Gilbert's heart beating frantically. It was the smell of blood. Gilbert got closer to the body to examine it. The body was cut up all over and slowly bleeding. The owner, still alive, was shivering violently. Their eyes, Gilbert noted, were half open staring blankly ahead. The worst part was that the body belonged to Matthew. The sight in front of Gilbert sickened him, yet all he could do was stare at the still very beautiful angel in front of him.

As he snapped out of his thoughts Gilbert called over his two friends and leaned down to examine Matthew further, for more fatal injuries. As the other two gathered near the albino they had started calling out the boy's name, searching for some reaction on his face. When none came the three decided to take Matthew to Francis's car and out of the alley. 

Carefully the Prussian picked up the limp Canadian and held him in his arm. Looking down Gilbert saw Matthew close his eyes. The Canadian then snuggled into Gilbert's arms, tinting the albino's cheeks in a pink blush (which he would awesomely blame on the unawesome cold). _JOU ARE UNCONSCIOUS! HOW ARE JOU STILL ZHIS ADORABLE?!_ Gilbert tried to focus on bringing the Canadian to the car but his eyes were drawn to the boy's cuts and bruises. 

Cringing at the look of Matthew's injuries, Gilbert finally made it to the car and gently laid Matthew down in the backseat with his head resting on the albino's lap.

"Ve have to get him some help, quickly drive to zhe nearest hospital." Gilbert said as soon as Francis and Antonio joined him in the car. The two shared a concerned look and Francis shook his head.

"NO?! Vhat do jou mean, no?! He needs to see a doctor! Vhat are ve just going to let him die from vhatever zhe hell just happened!" The albino yelled frantically.

"Mon ami, we don't want Matthieu to die, but we can't bring him to the hospital." Francis stated, starting the car.

"Jou know vhat? Fine, vhatever, I'm going to ask questions after Matthew is taken care of! But do jou know anyone zhat vill help us?" Gilbert said, eyeing his friends as they tried to think of anyone who could help them.

"Zhat's vhat I zhought, now drive to my place. Luddy should be home und he could probably help. Probably." The Prussian said when his friends came up with nothing.

"Alright mon ami. Can you call him to make sure he will help mon petit Matthieu. Please." Francis asked, almost whispering the last part. Gilbert nodded and pulled out his phone, careful not to move Matthew's head.

Gilbert was out of the car before Francis had even parked the car. He gently put Matthew's head back on his seat first of course. Gilbert ran up the door steps and knocked loudly on the door, signalling his brother to get outside and help lift the blond gently to the inside of his house. Gilbert was prepared to carry Matthew into the house by his awesome self, but he was scared that any sudden movements would make Matthew's injuries worse.

Ludwig was out of the door in seconds and made his way to a waiting Francis and Antonio with Gilbert on his heels. Before taking the man in front of him inside, Ludwig examined his injuries. Seeing as they weren't fatal, Ludwig let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. The German nodded to his brother and on the count of three they carefully lifted Matthew from the car and took him inside.

Once they made it past the hallway, Gilbert turned at the sound of footprints coming from the living room. A small gasp could be heard as the small Italian rushed forward to look closer at the body the two men had in their arms.

"So, this is Matteo?" Feliciano asked, adding a small ve~ to the end of his sentence. Ludwig shook his head yes and proceeded to carry Matthew to a spare room in the two-story building. After they had put Matthew gently on the bed, Feliciano came into the room with medical supplies and handed them to Ludwig. He then left and Ludwig urged Gilbert to follow as the next while wouldn't be very pretty. 

Gilbert nodded and stiffly walked out of the room. He knew he should have stayed next to Matthew's side in case he woke up but he couldn't bear to see any more of his cuts and bruises, plus he had a Frenchman to get answers from. Gilbert walked over to the living room to see his friends already passed out on the sofas with no Italian in sight. He sighed and began to go to the kitchen, as that is where he would find the Italian.

"Feli, vhat are jou doing up zhis late? Shouldn't jou be sleeping?" Gilbert asked and snickered as he saw where the Italian was in the kitchen. The stove.

"I'm-a making pasta for Matteo! So that when he wakes up he won't be hungry." Feliciano answered, flittering about the kitchen and cleaning up after himself so Ludwig won't yell at him later.

"Alright." Gilbert said chuckling to himself and, for the first time that evening, looked at the time. The digital clock on the stove read: _1:00 am_. He did a double take at the time and felt sleep calling to him as the adrenaline and alcohol wore off completely.

"I'm going to bed zhen, guten nacht Feli." Gilbert said, beginning to yawn. He walked to the stairs leading to the basement and descended into his Cave of Awesomeness. Once downstairs the albino changed into a black tank top and shorts and fell onto his bed. All he could do now was wait, so he would and he trusted in Ludwig to bring his Birdie back. Then Gilbert could finally learn something about Matthew other than his name. As soon as his head hit the pillow Gilbert was out like a light into the peacefulness of sleep, where (thankfully) he wouldn't be having any weird dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Hey guys, here's another chapter! I hope you guys liked it as we saw more of our wittle Gilly and his Awesome perspective.**  
>  **Thank you guys so much for reading this fanfiction. If you liked this story comment, subscribe, bookmark, and hit that kudos button! As always I will see you guys in the next update.       (▰˘◡˘▰)**


	8. Chapter 8

**~Gilbert~**

It had been almost a full day since Ludwig had told his brother to leave the spare room with a bloodied and bruised Matthew lying on the bed inside. From time-to-time Gilbert could hear pained grunts and hushed whispers from the other side of the door. After what felt like an eternity but was really just a couple of hours, Ludwig had emerged with what was left of his first aid kit and what remained of Matthew's shredded clothes in a large bundle. Since that moment Gilbert had not left Matthew's side. He had taken a seat next to the injured boy and did not move unless necessary.

Every couple of hours someone came into the room to check on Gilbert and Matthew. First, it was Francis, who had sat on the edge of the bed that currently held Matthew and looked sadly at the Canadian's bandaged figure. He didn't speak, which was odd considering the Frenchman always had something to say or gossip about. When Francis turned to look at him, Gilbert saw the worry and sorrow in his eyes.

He was about to speak, when suddenly Matthew began to take short breaths while thrashing around. This caught both men off guard for a couple of seconds. Francis was the first to react as he restrained  Matthew's arms. Gilbert looked to the areas with bandages and saw that some were beginning to turn a dark shade of red. Matthew's breathing only got worse but as both men worked to hold him down the thrashing stopped.

Gilbert, worried for Matthew's injuries called a sleeping Ludwig back into the room to make sure Matthew was alright. After a brief examination Ludwig assured both men that the boy was fine, although he would have to re-bandage some areas later. Francis then decided to tie Matthew's arms and chest to the bed so that he couldn't open his wounds if he had another nightmare and moved around. Soon after, Francis left to get Matthew a fresh pair of clothes from his home.

Gilbert stayed where he was, eyes never leaving the now calm boy's face. Searching for any sign that the Canadian would wake up and give Gilbert a wide smile for rescuing him and staying by his side. But, to Gilbert's dismay, no other expressions were made. With a sigh, Gilbert sat back down in the chair next to Matthew and continued to wait.

What Gilbert didn't see, was the plastic bag that Ludwig offered the Frenchman as he left the house or the knowing glance the two shared. What Gilbert also didn't see, was what was concealed inside that bag. It was the same things that Ludwig walked out of the room with. The remains of Matthew's clothes (which Francis felt like burning) and his knives as well as the bands Matthew wore around his body so that they wouldn't fall out of their places.

Next to come in was Antonio, who knocked at the door, awaking Gilbert from a small nap. When Gilbert gave a grunt of acknowledgement, the door was opened and Antonio walked in. He didn't have his signature smile on, but instead, held a frown on his face as he stared at the scene before him. Antonio walked up to where the Prussian was situated and patted his shoulder to comfort him. Antonio would have much preferred to hug and lend his friend his shoulder, but he knew that wasn't how Gilbert worked and offered an awkward pat instead.

"Hey, Gilbert, can I ask you something?" Antonio said, breaking the silence that ad over taken the room once again.

"Shoot." Gilbert said, eyes still never leaving Matthew's face.

"I don't mean to sound rude or offend you or anything but, why do you care so much about Matteo? I mean, you just met him a few days ago and you know next to nothing about him. So why are you so worked up about this?" Antonio asked puzzled.

Gilbert sighed. He didn't understand these feelings either. But the one thing he knew, was that Matthew was gonna fall for Gilbert, whether he wanted to or not. The things he feels when he's around Matthew are like nothing Gilbert has ever felt before and he's only been around the shy Canadian once. Maybe once he had felt these feelings before, but that was long ago and it wasn't to this extreme.

"I don't know, Toni, but I feel happy vhen I'm around him. Und vhen ve're apart he's zhe only zhing on my mind. Oops, I didn't mean to go all fangirl on jou zhere. But zhis is vhat I feel und I-I like it. So, vhen he gets up, I'm going to romance zhe shit out of him! Zhen he'll have no choice but to return my awesome feelings!" Gilbert said, with determination in his eyes.

Apparently this was enough to convince Antonio of his friend's state of mind and laughed at the thick headed Prussian before him.

"I have to go now, Lovi's been texting me all morning. I hope he's not too worried about me~" Antonio said, his smile back in place as thoughts of his cute little tomato filled his mind.

"Zhat or he broke somezhing again." Gilbert joked, breaking Antonio out of his trance. After Antonio left, Gilbert was alone again. This gave him a lot of time to think. He thought about Matthew and the feelings he felt towards the boy he just recently met and fell for. He was again disturbed when Matthew started convulsing in his sleep again.

The Canadian was struggling and pulling on the ropes that held him to the bed frame. All at once there were audible snaps as the ropes that tied the Canadian down were snapped by the strength of the taller male. It took Gilbert a few seconds to snap out of his awestruck state, then he moved quickly towards Matthew and held him down while Matthew struggled within the Prussian's grasp. It was difficult to say the least, as Matthew was in fact way stronger than he looked.

The game of tug-of-war quickly ended with Matthew falling back into the fluffy pillows that surrounded him. This act surprised Gilbert as he was brought down with the Canadian. He landed with a soft thud on Matthew's chest and was surprised to find that he was very muscular, while Gilbert had thought he'd be frail.

A bright red tint made an appearance on the Prussian's face as he slowly started to stand up. His crimson eyes trailed up to Matthew's sleeping face and examined him. Gilbert made sure to memorize every detail so that he would never forget the angelic person in front of him. As Gilbert realized the creepiness of his actions he quickly moved away and examined Matthew's wounds, from a safe distance, to make sure none had opened when Matthew had struggled earlier.

Once he was certain Matthew was fine, the Prussian searched the room for something else to hold Matthew down while he recovered. After five minutes of searching around the room, Gilbert finally came across a rack of some of his old belts in the closet. Picking up four or five of them, the Prussian went to work and tied Matthew down a little tighter than before. And, to make sure he wouldn't get burns from the material, Gilbert put some t-shirts in the space that separated Matthew's skin from the belt.

Matthew looked peaceful again, Gilbert was glad that he wasn't having another nightmare and that he could sleep and heal in peace. As Gilbert got comfy in his chair again, thoughts of how such a young innocent looking boy could have such violent nightmares. Gilbert has had his own share of bad dreams but nothing could compare to the expression of terror on Matthew's face and the struggle he put up trying to break his bonds.

The room was silent for a long while. Then the door opened by a cheerful Feliciano and an awkward Ludwig. The Italian had a rather large bowl of pasta in his hands as he hummed a happy tune. Feliciano skipped over to where Gilbert sat and handed the Prussian the bowl and a fork.

"It's~a lunch time, Gilbert! I~a made some pasta to cheer you up~a!" Feliciano said, his innocent smile in place. Ludwig came towards the bed, more bandages and gauze in his hands. One eyebrow quirked up at the sight of Matthew strapped to the bed a small blush forming, as Ludwig got flustered very easily. He said nothing, only looked towards his brother, who was now wolfing down the pasta, and sighed.

"Could zhe both of jou please leave, I'd like to reapply some gauze und his bandages." Ludwig said starting to untie the bandages on Matthew's left arm first. Once Gilbert had finished scarfing food down his throat, he begrudgingly left followed by a skipping Feliciano.

Once Gilbert was out of the room he decided to take a shower and clean himself up while waiting for Ludwig to finish bandaging Matthew up. He stepped into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. No wonder everyone who saw him was worried, the Prussian had bags under his eyes, looked paler than normal (if that was even possible), and reeked of the nights previous drinks.

Later, after looking a lot healthier, Gilbert stepped back into the room while Ludwig was still inside. The German was wrapping the last bandages around Matthew's torso. Looking at the healing wounds Gilbert got a chance to see Matthew's abdomen and gasped. He knew the boy was strong for his age but he wasn't expecting him to be ripped. Who new that underneath that giant hoodie hid the body people would kill to have?

At Gilbert's gasp Ludwig turned his head to look at his brother and find the source of his surprise. Noticing where the Prussian's eyes lead, he again turned a little pink and continued to finish his task. Gilbert noticed that the belts were taken off of Matthew's wrists and stomach.

"Hey Luddy, vhy did jou take zhe belts off?" Gilbert asked the German who again blushed pink. At the notice of this Gilbert blushed too.

"It's not vhat you zhink! I-Francis tied him so zhat he wouldn't hurt himself if he had anozher nightmare. Vh-vhich vas proved right, until he broke zhe ropes." Gilbert said in a rush of words. Ludwig only nodded and stood up.

"Zhey vere resting on some of his cuts so I took zhem off to clean zhe vounds." Ludwig stated then walked out of the door. A short time later, while Gilbert had finally relaxed himself into the nearby chair for the millionth time that day, Matthew started whimpering. It started off low but gradually gained volume. Gilbert could hear words forming beneath the mumbling.

Things like, "No, stop" "take me instead" and other haunting mumbles reached Gilbert's ears. Since there was nothing tying the Canadian down he bolted upright with his hand extended. The last words an echo, "Alfred, no" dying on his tongue as his eyes shot open. They were scarred as they scanned the room in a panic. Gilbert took this opportunity to speak to Matthew to try to calm him down.

"Hey Birdie, welcome back from the dead."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Hey guys, here's another chapter finally done! I hope you guys enjoyed reading it.**
> 
> **Thank you guys so much for reading this fanfiction. If you liked this story comment, subscribe, bookmark and hit that kudos button! As always I will see you guys in the next update. ôヮô**


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Bold** \- Matthew's dream
> 
> _Italics_ \- Matthew's thoughts
> 
> **Warning:** This chapter includes a panic attack scene and some mild abuse. If anyone gets triggered by that you can skip the **underlined** parts. I don't know if anyone can be triggered by these scenes so I'm putting a warning just in case. To anyone who reads this and is affected by anything, I'm here, just message me, I'm always here if you need to talk about anything. Even if you aren't affected by this, I'm still here if you need me.

**~Matthew~**

**The warmth that surrounded him soon fell away and Matthew was cold again. He opened his eyes and looked around. The Canadian was in a room, a little smaller than the apartment he had just been in. The room was lit by a single ceiling light, casting an eerie glow around him. There was absolutely no colour in this space. The walls, floor and ceiling were matching shades of grey; there were no windows or furniture either. Matthew turned and looked around the room, hoping to find an exit. Behind him stood a door, it too matched the rest of the room, being a dull shade of grey.**

**Matthew walked towards the knob and turned it slowly, there was an audible click as the door was opened. He pulled the door open and looked into the area just outside and saw black nothingness. The Canadian then did something he would yell at someone in a horror movie not to do. Matthew stuck his head outside of the door and called out into the endless darkness. Nothing but silence responded to his call.**

** He backed up suddenly and gasped, falling to his knees. Matthew felt a sharp pain in his chest and head. His breathing was shortened as he tried to clutch the areas of pain. The Canadian remembered nothing of how he sustained the injuries; all Matthew could feel was the agonizing pain as it spread all over his body. Matthew felt his arms being restrained, unable to move anywhere.  **

** This only fuelled his panic and Matthew tried thrashing his arms about. They were still bound and with his shortness of breath, Matthew fell to the floor and ceased all movements. He didn't realize it but there were tears streaming down his face. While lying on the floor Matthew began to bite his cheek to focus on a different pain instead of the one he felt now. Matthew also began to take d ** ** eep breaths and count. **

**One breath, in and out. Two breaths, in and out, in and out.** **Three breaths and so on until Matthew's panic subsided and his heart rate returned to normal.**

**After a while of counting his breaths Matthew could finally move his arms. First he wiped his face with his sleeve and with a determined look on his face, Matthew stood up. Clutching his head and sides, the Canadian closed and opened his eyes to try to get his head to stop spinning. Once the room looked straight, Matthew tentatively took a step forward, his eyes to the floor as he made his way towards the door again.**

**Matthew stretched his hand out in front of him so that he wouldn't walk head first into a wall. He took another step, only to find cold metal under his fingertips. Matthew looked up, and found that the only exit in the room had been closed. Matthew looked around the room trying to find a source of the action. Nothing was out of the ordinary in the empty room, so Matthew, confused, took another step closer to the door and grabbed the knob to open it.**

**The door was locked.**

**"Oh maple." The sound of Matthew's attempts to turn the knob echoed throughout the empty room. Forgetting his sudden pain, Matthew put his foot on the wall next to his hands and began to pull the knob roughly. After a minute of struggling Matthew fell back onto the floor with the door knob in his hands. He looked back towards the door, now there was a small hole where the knob used to be.**

**_You gotta love super strength._ Matthew got up with a smirk on his face and opened the door, throwing the knob to the floor on the way. The same darkness faced the Canadian as the door was fully opened. Matthew took a deep breath and began walking towards the darkness beyond the door, trying to find a light source on the other side. Matthew stumbled blindly ahead, arms outstretched to prevent himself from hitting a wall.**

**He continued to walk further into the darkness, into the unknown depths of this space. The Canadian looked back in the direction the door was in, but saw no light, no salvation. With a sigh Matthew faced what he believed to be forward and continued on his exploration. He continued to walk, through the seemingly endless room.**

**But now there was light and it was spreading throughout the space, blinding Matthew in the process. It took a few minutes of rapid blinking to adjust to the new light source and instantly regretted it. The room he was in was all too familiar. Memories of the day's events flashed behind Matthew's eyes. His heart beat picked up.**

**"Matvey, how lovely to see you again, da?" A childish voice whispered behind him. Mathews eyes widened in recognition as he spun around trying to locate the speaker.**

**"This time you won't be able to kill me." The all too familiar voice continued. The sound seemed like it was coming from everywhere at once, yet nowhere at all.**

**"And why is that?" Matthew asked back, looking everywhere for one of his greatest nightmares to pop up unexpectedly.**

**"Because, I'm in your head and, I like it up here." The voice whispered the last words right into his ear and giggled softly. Matthew turned as was met with the evil yet childish smile of none other than Ivan Braginsky.**

**"What?" Mathew questioned, turning his body calmly to face the demon in front of him.**

**"You're dead, you can't be here, much less in my head." Matthew said, his voice rising in a panic. He wanted, no he needed to get out, to get away from this, whatever it was.**

**"I am dead, but you're trapped in your mind, with me for company." The Russian laughed but it was not his childish giggle, but more sinister and had Mathew's hair standing on its ends.**

**"So, I'm dreaming." Matthew concluded shakily.**

**"Such a smart one, I knew I liked you." Ivan said, his smile still in place.**

**"Since I'm dreaming, I can just dream you away then." Matthew stated, glad he could finally get away from Ivan.**

**"Maybe." Ivan said with a shrug of his shoulders. With a sigh Matthew closed his eyes and tried to focus on something other than the tall man standing near him. After a moment he opened his eyes and Ivan was still there, with a large smirk on his face.**

**"Did it work?" Ivan asked innocently. Matthew was getting really tired of this. Annoyed, he tried to think of any way to get rid of the Russian standing in front of him. An idea struck Matthew and he flew into action.**

**Matthew walked up to Ivan calmly; he needed to check if this dream version had the Russian's beloved water pipe with him. When Ivan seemed empty handed the Canadian reached up his sleeve and felt a wave of relief wash through him as his hand found his beloved weapon. Just as he had only hours ago, Matthew slashed the taller man's neck and simply walked to the room's exit as Ivan, wide eyed, fell to the floor and disappeared completely.**

**Once outside the door the scenery changed, Matthew was outside in an open field. It was endless, no buildings or trees, just green grass as far as the eye could see.**

" **This is peaceful, too peaceful. Something horrible is going to happen, isn't it?" Matthew stated aloud and sighed for what seemed like the millionth time this hallucination.**

**"So, when does the fun begin?" Matthew asked to nothing in particular.**

**As if answering his question the sky turned dark and it started to rain. The wind was harsh and cold against Matthew's skin, making him shiver. He looked up at the sky, confused, and then tried to find somewhere to take shelter. With nothing in sight Matthew decided to walk aimlessly through the field.**

**What seemed like hours had passed before Matthew finally spotted something in the distance. It was the silhouette of a person. The Canadian decided to get closer and investigate who the figure belonged to. The rain only continued to pour harder the closer Matthew got to the silhouette.**

**He could make out small details now like their height, haircut and outfit. They were tiny, with long hair and they seemed to be wearing a white dress that stood out from the darkness around them. The closer Matthew got the more familiar the figure became.**

**They were finally inches apart Matthew standing above the small child in front of him. The boy he only knew as himself was sitting in the dirt, cold and wet, staring blankly into the distance. As Matthew approached him further, the boy looked directly into Matthew's eyes and stood up, as if waiting for Matthew to show up.**

**The boy closed the distance between them and grabbed Matthew's hand. The child was only as tall as Matthew's thigh and had to reach up to grab his hand. The boy started walking forward and pulling Matthew along with him.**

**As they started to walk the rain stopped, the darkness subsided and the field was peaceful once more. Once there was light around Matthew he noted that the scenery had changed yet again. They were walking along a road, buildings all around them. The street they were on was vaguely familiar to Matthew but he couldn't place where he'd been here before.**

**The sun was setting on the horizon, painting the sky a pink and orange hue. A small home appeared in front of the boys. The smaller had that same dull look on his face as they approached it.**

**Matthew was confused. He knew this place, but he still couldn't remember why he knew it. Sure, it could've been a place he visited or saw on the news or something but this house was hauntingly familiar to him.**

**The short walk up the driveway, passing the small red mailbox and walking up the steps of the home felt so familiar to Matthew, too familiar. Matthew tried hard to search his brain from where he knew this place. What he didn't notice was that the boy had opened the door and was tugging on his arm to follow.** **With the door open Matthew could see the interior and finally knew why he knew this house.**

**It was his old home, the home before Francis and Arthur. The home before he was useful and skilled. Matthew remembered everything that had happened here. The loneliness, the tears, the pain, especially the pain. Everything came flooding back to the Canadian.**

**His breathing quickened again as he leaned on the door frame for support. His hands felt bound again as he tried to move, pure panic took over Matthew once again. He** **wanted to run away and never remember. He wanted to be numb to the pain he felt.** **But something kept him here. The same thing that kept him here back then too.**

**His brother, Alfred.**

**Matthew felt warmth spread across his chest as he calmed himself down. He looked up at the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching the two Canadians.**

**"Mattie! Where were you, I was so bored!" There he was, his older brother, his idol, and his savoir.**

**"Sorry Alfie, I got lost." The younger boy whispered to his twin.**

**"Don't worry the HERO is with you now! So come on and play with me now!" The louder boy dragged the youngest one deeper into the home and Matthew was left alone in the doorway.**

**"What am I doing here?" Matthew whispered to himself. Nothing answered him back. Taking a deep breath Matthew walked further into the place he used to call home. He reached the living room and found the two boys playing with small cars. They were making noises and moving the cars in an imaginary race.**

**Matthew knew this scene, it was the last memory of this house, of this life, he had. His eyes widened as footsteps were heard, getting closer to the small boys. Someone he used to call Dad walked, or teetered, into this scene, completely ignoring Matthew's presence. The two boys looked up with wide eyes and began hugging each other.**

**"Alfred, who are you hugging?" The man slurred out, confused. The smaller Canadian started softly crying, even at this age he was invisible.**

**"It's okay Mattie, I'm here." The older twin consoled. "I'm hugging your son, Matthew." Alfred stated looking angry with the older man.**

**"Do not use attitude with me young man!" Their father bellowed, making both Matthews whimper in response.**

**"Maybe if you actually paid attention to your son, I wouldn't have to use it!" Alfred yelled back. In his childhood, Matthew was invisible to everyone except Alfred. Even his own parents forgot about him. Alfred was the only person to see Matthew, and that made him stay. He could have run away at any point and no one would miss him, except for Alfred.**

**The man called Dad walked towards Alfred and grabbed him away from Matthew, causing screams from both boys. The man took Alfred to a room and locked it. They were yelling back and forth, this was a constant thing. Shouts of pain began to emit from behind the door. The younger Canadian ran to the door that separated the twins and began to bang on it. Cries of "no stop" and "take me instead" where shouted as loud as the small boy could. **

**Matthew was frozen in place. This memory was the one he tried to forget the most. He forced himself to the door and began trying to force it open. Matthew knew it was futile and that nothing would change because it was just a memory but he couldn't stop. The door's hinges and lock began to snap as Matthew forced open the door with a yell of "Alfred, no!"**

His eyes shot open and his breathing was heavy. He was sitting up with his hand outstretched on a bed that wasn't his. Matthew looked around frantically and found he didn't know where he was. He looked around trying to find anything familiar in this setting. His eyes settled on a pale man standing off to the side, staring back at Matthew.

"Hey Birdie, welcome back from the dead."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Hey guys I'm finally back with another update!!**
> 
> **I apologize if the scenes here were triggering or unsettling, I knew this wasn't going to be a pleasant chapter, but I didn't think it would get this dark. I plan on writing the next chapter as a very happy and fluffy chapter so don't worry! (It may take another million years though, I'M SORRY!)**
> 
> **If you liked this fanfiction subscribe, bookmark, comment, and hit that kudos button. I will see you guys in the next HAPPIER chapter! (◕‿-)**


	10. Chapter 10

~Matthew~

With his brain still in panic mode, Matthew didn't register who the man standing in front of him was. Confused, the Canadian looked towards his outstretched hand, there were red marks around his wrists, and brought it down to his lap.

"Qui?"(Who?) It came out raspy and crackled. Frowning, Matthew tried to speak again and was met with a coughing fit. The man standing in front of him looked worried and opened the door to the room and stuck his head out.

"Luddy, get some vater, Matthew is avake!" The man with the scarlet eyes called out.

"Où suis-je?"(Where am I?) Matthew asked in a whisper, his throat on fire with every word. Matthew kept his eyes trained on the man standing in from of him. He looked very familiar yet he couldn't put a name.

Another man came through the door holding a glass of water, he looked at Matthew and gave the water to the man with silver hair, then left the room. Matthew eyed the water and looked back to the man holding it. The man came closer, at a slow pace as to not scare Matthew, and with an outstretched hand gave him the glass.

Matthew watched as the man backed up towards the door and proceeded to hungrily chug the cool liquid. A drop escaped from his lips and slowly slid down his chin. He breathed a sign of relief the burning in his throat dulled for the moment.

He looked back to the man who was watching him in fascination. The man's pale cheeks turned a light pink at being caught staring. Matthew wiped the water from his face with the back of his hand, returning the albino's stare. With his throat no longer dry Matthew tried to speak.

"Qui es-tu?"(Who are you?) Matthew asked again, with more clarity. The man seemed confused at his words and sighed.

"Vhere's Francis vhen jou need him?" The man made his way closer to Matthew but stopped short when he saw the boy flinch away. He raised his hands and spoke slowly.

"Uhh, jay m'apple (a failed attempt of my name is) Gilbert. Und zhat's all zhe french I know so please speak English." The last part was said in a rush.

"Gil-bert?" Matthew repeated, slowly regaining his memories of the night before.

"Oh." Matthew breathed remembering the warm arms that embraced him and the pain of his wounds. He looked down and discovered he was covered in bandages.

"Did you..." He started then gestured to the bandages. Gilbert got the message.

"Nah, my little bruder took care of zhat. Jou should meet him! Once jour okay vith moving first." Gilbert explained.

"Thank you, for coming to get me. " Matthew said, staring into the crimson orbs he adored so much.

"It vas no problem, Birdie. I'm just glad ve made it in time." Gilbert replied softly with a wide smile.

"Birdie?" Matthew asked with a raised eyebrow and a slight giggle in his voice. Gilbert's ever-present blush darkened.

"Uh, ja. Jou're small like a little bird and cu-- I mean jou remind me of mein bird, Gilbird. He's almost as awesome as me!" Gilbert explained with pride. Matthew smiled at that, noticing the heat spreading to his own cheeks.

"Gilbird?" Matthew repeated and giggled.

"Ja, isn't his name awesome, I zhought of it meinself!" Gilbert responded.

"It's.. special." Matthew said laughing. Gilbert joined him with his loud laugh.

The conversation sobered and Gilbert asked a question that made Matthew's stomach turn in remembering.

"So, how did jou end up in zhat alley vith all zhose knife marks anyvay?" Gilbert asked worried.

"Um, didn't Francis tell you?" Matthew responded, trying to see if a cover story had been made yet.

"No, he kinda just sat at jour side in silence zhe entire time." Gilbert responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I was mugged." Matthew said flatly. Gilbert gasped.

"Jou don't seem shaken up, like at all." He said in worry.

"I've gone through worse." Matthew responded flatly, trying to get the image of the tall Russian man out of his head.

"Like zhe nightmares jou had?" Matthew's eyes widened.

"How did you..." The nightmares resurfaced in his mind, fresh and stung anew.

"Jou vere sleep talking und thrashing, ve had to tie jou down more zhan once. Jou're stronger zhan jou look." Matthew unconsciously rubbed his reddened wrists and looked towards them. He shrugged.

"Oops." He said, chuckling awkwardly and scratching the back of his neck.

"Vell after sleeping for ten years, I bet jour hungry." As if answering, Matthew's stomach growled loudly. His cheeks reddened in embarrassment and Matthew looked away from the albino.

"Um, sure. But, h-how long was I out?" Matthew asked, scared to hear the response.

"Hmm, almost two days." Gilbert said about to leave the room to find the Canadian something to eat.

"Two days!" Matthew repeated, startled with the new information.

" _Almost_ two days." Gilbert repeated emphasizing the almost to help calm down the blond.

"I'm going to find jou somezhing to eat, I'm sure Feli's in zhe kitchen making pasta as ve speak. Is pasta okay vith jou?" Gilbert asked unsure of the Canadian's preferences.

"Of course, thank you Gilbert." Matthew replied giving the albino a smile. Then Gilbert left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Hey guys, I'm back. AND IM SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! I had no time to write this chapter at all (I'm writing this while I'm supposed to be working, oh well), but I promise that this fanfiction is far from over and I will continue to update (at a horrible pace). Thsi chapter and the rest are going to be a little shorter from now on so that I can write and publish them faster.**
> 
> **Thank you guys so much for reading this fanfiction. If you liked this chapter please hit that kudos button, comment, and subscribe! Until the next update (which may be another ten years). (・∀・ )**


	11. Chapter 11

~Matthew~

Gilbert came back with a full plate of pasta and a glass of water. The smell wafted towards Matthew, his mouth starting to water. It seemed not eating for two days greatly affected Matthew. His stomach rumbled again and Gilbert chuckled bringing the plate to Matthew with a fork, he put the glass on the nightstand next to the bed.

The plate was cleared in seconds.

"Uh, did jou vant anozher plate?" Gilbert asked handing Matthew a napkin.

"It was delicious but, no thanks." Matthew chuckled, his hunger satisfied. He wiped his face and handed Gilbert the empty plate. Matthew tried sitting up but was met with protest from his ribs and winced. Gilbert took notice and propped a pillow behind Matthew's back.

"Thanks." Matthew grunted, annoyed by his display of weakness in front of the other male.

"I'm going to fetch jou some pain killers." Gilbert said worriedly. Matthew only nodded in response. He watched as Gilbert left the room, the door slowly closing behind him. Matthew was left with only his thoughts and the pain in his ribs. His brain focused on the events in his nightmare, making Matthew shudder at his horrible memories.

His thoughts were interrupted though as a loud banging was heard in another part of the house. A door, Matthew presumed, had been forced open. Shouting was heard between three people: a deep accented voice, a french accent rapidly speaking and an annoyingly loud voice that could only belong to one person. Matthew sighed as loud footsteps came closer to the door that separated him from the rest of the house.

"MAATTTTIEEE!" Said voice shouted, while barging into the room poor Matthew currently occupied. The two made eye contact and Alfred rushed to his twin's side. The Canadian was soon engulfed into a bear hug, shooting pain throughout his body. Matthew let out a short hiss and took a deep breath.

"Hey Alfie, what are you doing here?" The Canadian choked out, finding it hard to breath in his brothers bone crushing embrace. He finally let go and sat opposite of Matthew on the bed. Looking to Alfred's face , Matthew could see that his cheeks were red and his eyes were glassy.

"Hey, you okay?" Matthew asked reaching towards Alfred and grabbing his hand, intertwining their fingers. The older twin looked at their hands and sniveled.

"Francis called me and told me you were in a coma, said he was at your place getting some stuff and feeding your bear. I rushed over there, ran actually, I left my car someplace and had Francis drive me here, he's outside apologizing to who ever owns this place." Alfred said still looking down.

"And why would Francis be apologizing?" Matthew asked, finally meeting his brother's ocean blue eyes.

"I might of- sort of broke down their door..." Alfred said laughing uneasily. Matthew sighed and smiled at his twin. He still felt uneasy with the thought of his nightmare still fresh in his mind.

"I had that nightmare again." Matthew confessed. Alfred drew in a sharp breath and smiled back putting his free hand on Matthew's shoulder.

"That's okay, your Hero is here to protect you from everything!" Alfred said, quieter than his normal high volume, it was comforting to Matthew. The younger twin wrapped his arms around his older brother and let loose a single tear.

"Everything is alright Mattie, you're safe." Alfred comforted, rubbing circles on his brother's back.

The door to the room was nudged open and Gilbert stuck his head inside. Seeing no immediate danger, Gilbert walked in and coughed, breaking the twins apart.

"So, who are jou?" Gilbert asked ready to bolt at the first sign of danger. He was usually ready to fight anyone anywhere, but he had seen the door being ripped from its hinges himself and, contrary to popular belief, Gilbert was no idiot and did not want death before he could confess to his Birdie. So, he stood at the door and waited to be answered.

"Who are you?" Came rudely back from the intruder.

"Alfie." Matthew scolded, bringing Alfred's attention back to his twin.

"Play nice, his brother patched me up." Matthew said glancing over to the confused albino.

"This is Alfred, my twin." Matthew introduced, gesturing to Alfred who was glaring at the man standing in the doorway. Matthew made eye contact with the pale man and smiled, Gilbert smiled back.

"Alfred, this is Gilbert, he's Francis' good friend." Matthew gestured to the albino and nudged Alfred with his elbow in his ribs, making Alfred sigh.

"Hi." He said curtly before turning around to face Matthew again. Gilbert snorted at the display from the older twin.  
  
"I guess zhat's my cue to leave." Gilbert said turning to leave.

"Sorry." Matthew mouthed to the albino. He nodded and left the room to continue his search for pain killers.

"That was rude, Alfie." Matthew said turning his attention to his twin. Alfred crossed his arms and pouted. 

"I don't like him." Alfred stated, turning back to the door and glaring as if the albino was still there.

"He's a lot like you, ya know." Matthew said, chuckling as Alfred sharply turned his head to playfully glare at his brother. 

"Well he does have devilish good looks." Alfred said, winking at Matthew and combing his hand through his short hair making Matthew chuckle.

"That's not what I meant." The Canadian smiled at his brother. 

"Then did you mean the defined abs-" Alfred flexed as best he could while sitting "-or the dazzling eyes-" He batted his ocean blue eyes at his younger brother "-or how about my amazing personality?" Alfred finished, fanning himself.

"You're both dorks." Matthew giggled, smiling at his brother.

"Oh, wait I know, it's the size of my--" Matthew covered Alfred's mouth with his hand before he could finish his sentence. His cheeks flushed a dark scarlet.

"Can you not?!" Matthew whisper yelled. In an attempt to free himself Alfred licked the Canadian's hand covering it in slobber.

"Ew." Matthew retracted his hand and wiped it on his twin's shirt.

"Yes, I can tie a knot." Alfred said proudly. Matthew sighed, his attention diverted to the door as it began to open. Another male looked into the room. He drew in a slight breath at making eye contact with the blond and launched himself towards the twins.

"MON PETITE (MY LITTLE) MATTHIEU!" Francis ran and attached himself to Matthew's other side. 

"Your awake!" Francis said holding the taller male's head in his hands.

"Yeah, I'm okay Francis." Matthew said trying to detach himself from the older man's grip. 

"You scared me half to death!" Francis sniffed.

"You look it. Oh my God, is that a worry line?" Alfred teased pointing to Francis's forehead. Francis made a dramatic gasp and searched his pocket for a compact mirror to check. When no wrinkles were found he closed the mirror with a snap and glared at a snickering Alfred.

"Don't joke about things like that!" Francis turned to Alfred and smacked the back of his head playfully. Alfred let out a small whine and rubbed his head. 

Matthew smiled, he was happy, sure he was in a lot of pain but most of his makeshift family was here with him. And the pain lessened with each chuckle. Matthew adored his family and would give the world to keep them safe and he knows that they'd do the same. He looked at his 'Papa' and twin and smiled, feeling at peace, something he hadn't felt in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **OMG 2 chapters in less than a week, what is this sorcery????**
> 
> **Hey guys, I'm back with another (shorter) chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it as it was released a lot faster than any chapter I've written so far.**
> 
> **Anyway, thank you guys again for reading this fanfic and if you liked this chapter hit the kudos button, comment and subscribe to this fanfiction! I will see you guys in the next chapter! ┏(＾0＾)┛**


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Italics_  - Gilbert's thoughts

~Gilbert~

Gilbert left the room feeling very accomplished for not getting himself killed by the hostile American inside. Although his mood dropped slightly when he saw his front door lying on the floor a few feet away. The hinges were completely busted and pieces of wood had scattered throughout the hallway.  _Vell I'm not cleaning zhat up_ Gilbert thought to himself with a snicker.

The Prussian walked over to the mess that was his door and bent down to see if anything could be salvaged. He wondered briefly if super-strength ran in the family and if his small Canadian could do the same. The albino's mind wandered back to the Canadian's build and he found himself blushing.

_Vith abs like zhose he definitely has super strength_ Gilbert snorted at this and shook his head to get the thoughts out. He stood up and wandered into the living room to find Francis and Ludwig speaking in hushed tones, their arms flying rapidly as they spoke. They stopped as soon as they saw Gilbert enter the room. Both sets of blue eyes stared at the albino as an awkward silence encompassed the area.

"Uh, Matthew's avake if jou vanted to check on him." Gilbert said bouncing on the balls of his feet with his hands clasped behind his back. Francis nodded and excused himself to see the Canadian. Gilbert's ruby eyes followed the Frenchman out of the living room and returned to the younger German.

"So vhat are ve doing about zhe door?" Gilbert asked pointing with his thumb to the gaping hole in the front of the house. Ludwig sighed and walked over to the fallen piece of wood. He gently picked it up and placed it in its original place. The door creaked as more debris fell off. Ludwig stood back and looked at the missing spaces in the door frame.

"Zhis vill have to do for now." Ludwig turned back to his brother who scrunched his nose in disgust at the new design. Ludwig shifted his eyes to his brother and gave him an ice cold glare. Gilbert almost laughed- almost. He knew better than to piss off his brother any more because the situation was entirely his fault.

"Mind telling me vhy our door is like zhis." Ludwig took a step closer to his brother and used his full height to look down on the older man.

"It's a funny story actually, jou're going to laugh, I promise. Um, Birdie's bruder found out he vas hurt und rushed over here and might have ripped zhe door from zhe hinges. But jou already know zhat. So vhy are jou asking me?" Gilbert asked awkwardly laughing and rubbing the back of his neck. He took a step backwards, out of Ludwig's reach.

"Und who's 'Birdie'?" Ludwig asked calmly, pinching the brig of his nose and inhaling deeply.

"Um, the guy you stitched up?" The albino said as more of a question. Ludwig's eyes darted towards the room currently holding their three visitors.

"Oh don't be mad, jou vould do zhe same for me or-or Feli." Gilbert tried to lighten his brother's mood before things got out of hand. Ludwig didn't say anything but his cheeks turned a light pink at the mention of the Italian.

"Make sure nozhing else is broken, got it?" The younger brother said, leaving the room in favour of finding a broom to clean the mess at their entrance.

"Yes sir!" The albino said, saluting his brother as he left. Gilbert snickered as he could hear the eye roll he received. 

A low whine coming from the other side of the room caught Gilbert's attention. He turned towards the sound and saw two large cages with blankets thrown over the tops. He could see four tiny snouts peeking out from one of the cages and two larger snouts from the bottom of the other. He took the blankets off and all six dogs tried to leap out of the cages and onto the albino. 

"Luddy! Did jou feed zhe dogs yet?" The albino yelled while slipping his hand through the bars and petting his dogs' heads. 

"Ja." Ludwig said appearing at the entrance to the room, broom in hand. 

"JEEEZUS, JOU NEED A BELL!" Gilbert said jumping three feet in the air, clutching his heart. The largest dog, Fritz, a German Shepard started barking at the albino's outburst, scaring Gilbert more. Ludwig smirked at this, making his brother dramatically gasp. 

"I thought jou loved me." Gilbert said brushing a fake tear from his eyes. Ludwig rolled his eyes at his brother.

"Jou're so cruel." Gilbert turned away and started sniveling. 

"Jou know, jou could help me clean this mess up." Ludwig said turning to leave to return to his task. 

"Nah, I'm going to take a nap vith zhe dogs." Gilbert said with a yawn. He didn't realize how tired he was, apparently staying awake for two days was unhealthy. _Oops_  Gilbert thought and opened the first cage with the smaller dogs. They rushed out and Gilbert had to dive to catch them before they could cause trouble in the house. He gathered them up in his arms and tried his best to move without dropping them. 

The dogs were all different breeds: Dustin was a small beagle, Axel was a husky, Acacia was a pug, Klien was a golden retriever, and Max, a St. Bernard, was the biggest and furriest of the six. With a shaky hand Gilbert unlocked the other cage. The large dogs nosed the gate open and started to follow the albino. The dogs in his arms were still trying to wiggle their way to freedom in his arms.

Gilbert made it to the basement door with the bundles of joy still in his arms. He walked down the stairs very slowly with the other dogs following behind him. Once he made it to the bottom of the stairs, he bent down to release the small pups. The larger dogs stood in front of the stairs, blocking the smaller ones' exit. 

Gilbert heard a chirp and turned to greet his bird, Gilbird. The albino whistled back and made his way to his bed. He noticed the dogs were following him and he scoped the smaller ones into his arms again and put them down gently on his bed. He then found a mostly comfortable position and settled down. The older dogs jumped up on the bed and cuddled with the albino and the younger pups. 

"Aww, ain't zhat cute." Gilbert said sleepily, he took one last yawn before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep. This time Gilbert did not dream of his Birdie, but of the time he got locked in the dog cage and couldn't get out until Ludwig got home.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Bold** \- reading

~Matthew~

It had been almost a solid week since Matthew had woken up at the albino's residence. None of the parties involved were too happy about the outcome of Matthew's visit, in fact there was a meeting later about how they were to settle their debts. Although Matthew already had a sinking suspicion on what the other criminals wanted.

But before he could even close shop for the day a letter arrived, the messenger just as annoying as last time.

"So, Mattie-bro, when am I coming over for pancakes?"

"You can make your own pancakes."

"Yeah, but yours give me that feeling of happiness inside and something else, I can't quite name it..."

"Laziness?" He suggested, half paying attention.

"No, not that."

"Obesity? Greed?" Matthew sighed out, his eyes downcast at the letter in his hand.

"Hey, that was mean." He said sticking his tongue out playfully. "But no, it feels like home." Alfred said with a nod, making Matthew feel like a horrible human being. He looked up and met his brother's eyes, concern shinning through his layer of sunshine and smiles.

"How about this weekend? Please, call me this time before you barge into my house. Again." The taller male said, slowly inching towards the door, towards freedom.

"Sure thing, try not to get stabbed this time though." The American said with a loud laugh and a strong jab to Matthew's side. The Canadian only grunted in either pain or response, neither knew.

"See you around Mattie Moose."

"Take care, Alfred Freedom Jones." Matthew responded, mock saluting the other male. They both left through the front entrance, Matthew staying behind to lock the doors to his little piece of heaven. He walked in a daze to his car and drove home. His mind was full of raging thoughts about what would happen, about Arthur, about Gilbert. Ah yes, the Prussian managed to find his way into Matthew's thoughts in the weirdest of times.

Though Matthew won't deny that the thoughts of Gilbert were far more pleasant than the other ones that had his blood pressure spiking. Before he knew it Matthew was unlocking his door and throwing his sweater on a coat-rack. Kuma came waddling up next to him and stared up at the Canadian with a look that Matthew had seen everyday since he found Kuma in the woods.

_Who are you?_  he always asked making the Canadian's mood worsen. He let out a sigh and didn't bother answering, it's not like the bear was going to learn anyway. Matthew found his way to his bed and sat with his head between his hands, breathing, just breathing, it was the only thing he could do. One breath in, another out. It was therapeutic and helped calmed hi nerves.

There was a pawing noise from the other side of his door as Kuma nosed it open and walked inside. In between his teeth held the letter Matthew was given previously. The breathing exercises almost worked, he almost forgot about it. He sighed, it seemed he was doing that a lot lately, and padded over to where Kuma had stopped. Matthew bent down and reached for the letter, his other hand rubbing circles into the bear's soft fur.

"Thank you Kuma, I almost forgot. What would I do without you?" The man said as the bear dropped the letter into his awaiting palm. Once Matthew was done petting him, the bear turned around and left Matthew to read the letter. The man rose to his feet and sat back onto his bed. His hands were shaky as he opened the envelope. He stared at the paper inside for what felt like hours, just staring not reading.  _It's now or never_  his brain supplied  _Better to get it over with_.

Matthew unfolded the paper and read:

**Matthew,**  
**It has come to my attention that you are indebted to one of the members of Germania, Ludwig Beilshmidt, as he saved your life. Now I am not too happy with the circumstances, but I am glad you are alright. I'm going to cut right to the chase-- they want something from us. What it is, they will not tell me, but they want to speak to you-- soon. I told them that you will meet with them tomorrow at one of my warehouses, the address is attached. You should be there by half past noon, as they are scheduled to arrive at 1 pm. The reason I want you there early is so that we can talk about your mistake, it won't take too long. I'll be seeing you soon,**  
**Arthur**

Matthew's heart stopped along with his breathing and other functions he needed to stay alive. To say that he was scared was an understatement, he was more terrified beyond possible belief. Arthur wanted to speak to him-- in person. The thought alone sent warning bells throughout Matthew's mind, he could feel the beginnings of a headache forming. He was frozen to the spot, unable to think, breathe or move. It was only his cell-phone ringing that brought him out of his breakdown.

Matthew gasped for breath and tried to calm his beating heart. His phone was still going off and the Canadian didn't have any desire to answer it. He was more concerned with the thoughts rampaging around his skull, not even the albino could save him from these ones. He was spiraling, not knowing which way was up. The letter only bringing horrible scenarios to mind and engulfing him in fear.

A small sting brought the thoughts to a halt, yes, he was still afraid, but the terrible noise stopped. His hand stung again, he felt liquid running through his fingers, grounding him back to earth. His vision cleared and he looked down. It had seemed his bear was the culprit, his hand bleeding from where he was scratched.

"You saved me again, how do you always know when I need you?" The man said, his breathing had returned to normal now and his headache was reduced to a dull throb at the base of his skull. He smiled down at his friend and nodded his thanks. The bear seemed to get the message and scampered off to wherever he normally goes to when he's not asking for food.

The cut on Matthew's hand had stopped bleeding and he took his time cleaning and dressing it. He decided that he would deal with everything tomorrow and that he was too tired for all of this. So, the Canadian decided to make a small dinner for himself and his bear-- making sure to give Kuma extra for his good behaviour and conked out for the day. Temporarily forgetting about Arthur, the meeting and his cell-phone.

**~Time Skip~**

Matthew exited his car at the meeting place, his heart hammering in his chest. From the outside, it looked like an abandoned building-- most of their business places did. The only thing that seemed off was the guards placed all over the perimeter. They eyed Matthew with minimal interest, whether they actually noticed him or just recognized him was debatable.

As he wandered inside, Matthew took the familiar path to Arthur's personal study; the winding corridors doing nothing to ease his heart rate. It was rare for Matthew to experience nerves, let alone fear. Years on the job taught him to feel nothing, to cloud his mind with numbness,  _that's how you stay sane in this line of work_. The thought wedged its way through Matthew's mind, making the Canadian sigh.

He was almost to his destination.  
  
The door loomed ahead, and Matthew stopped a few paces away. Behind that door Arthur waited, behind that door Matthew would either face the man who raised him or the man who taught him to be a killer; the man who took slip-ups like Matthew's, as no laughing matter.  
Wasting time thinking about his fate would only dig his grave deeper, so Matthew covered the last few feet to the door and knocked.

A muffled 'come in' sounded and Matthew opened the door, taking one last deep breath before walking inside. The study was nothing fancy; a large bookcase lined the wall behind a glass desk, the desk which Arthur Kirkland now stood in front of, leaning on the clear glass. His sharp emerald gaze locked onto Matthew's violet and the Englishman moved closer a grin splitting his features.

"Wonderful of you to make it, poppet," The man said, clapping Matthew on the arm. The contact was as close to affection as the boy would ever receive. Matthew only nodded, breaking eye contact with his guardian and stepped further into the study. He trained his eyes on the spine of a book that was behind where Arthur stood. The Brit sighed and shook his head,

"Down to business then. As you know the Germans will be arriving shortly, they want to discuss your life debt to Ludwig. Speaking of the life debt, your mission was supposed to be quick and easy. I'm glad you're safe but you've cost me dearly. I am hesitant to give you any other missions to avoid the same embarrassment, but that would do neither of us any good," another sigh, "you will be punished, but I want to see what they want from us first. That will be the deciding factor of your punishment," Matthew's shoulders sagged and he nodded, still not speaking. He wasn't expecting a lecture, especially not one so caring. Matthew was surprised to say the least, but he schooled his features into an emotionless stare. The only tell that the Canadian was listening was the rapid beat of his heart. 

Arthur opened his mouth to say something else but was interrupted by the door slamming open. Someone burst into the study, earning a disapproving glare from Arthur. But before the Brit could speak the person relayed the news that had him running for the private study.

The Germans had arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look whose back from the dead-- it's me with another chapter! I'm so sorry I took so long, I honestly lost interest in this one, but with your guys' support I'm back and I know where I want this one to go. It might take me another year to write a chapter, but you have my word: I will finish this fanfiction.
> 
> So much has happened while I was away, and a new chapter of my life has begun, I'd love to share it all but that's not what you guys are here for.
> 
> So, if you liked this chapter go ahead and give it some love! I'll be back with more hopefully soon~ (▰˘◡˘▰)

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfiction and I'd say this chapter was pretty good, even though The Awesome Prussia hasn't been introduced yet (sorry about that, I hope to write about him soon, so stay patient with me!).
> 
> Also if you like this story comment and press that kudo button for this fanfiction! I'd be really happy and that might make me write the next chapter faster. ≧◡≦


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